Vol. 467 No. 7
99 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Health the number of females under the age of 16 years who are receiving prescriptions for the contraceptive pill under the general medical scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14218/96]
Limerick East): Statistics on the use of drugs and medicines within the general medical services (GMS) scheme are compiled by the General Medical Services (Payments) Board.
The board has examined some 820,000 prescriptions for the month of April 1996, and this shows that there were 199 females under 16 years of age who received prescriptions for the contraceptive pill. However, it is not possible to say from this data whether the pill has been prescribed for contraceptive purpose or for other medical reasons.
