Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-10
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Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal

I asked the Taoiseach the question and he did not answer it. I asked him the question, with respect, of whether he believes people with dementia and Alzheimer's who were receiving the blister packs free of charge should be charged for them from 1 January. No matter what way the Taoiseach presents it, these packs were being funded. For right or wrong, they were being funded. Of course there are issues. The issue is that the man who was talking to me this morning and his wife who is suffering with dementia will have to pay in January for the blister pack they were getting free of charge. Do not try to pull this one - that the Government is actually reducing the cost of medication - when people out there have been getting letters from their pharmacies saying from 1 January the HSE will no longer be providing blister packs and there will be an additional charge of €20 per month for the packs.
Please do not tell people that black is white and white is black. People know what is happening out there. The question is whether the Government is going to reverse this. These are elderly people and vulnerable people who rely on blister packs to ensure they take their medication on time. Many people cannot afford to pay for them.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-10/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:27+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-10