asked the Minister of Health what is the present average retail cost of medical prescriptions; what amount of this is paid to the chemist for his services together with the cost of the container; and what steps he is taking to discuss these costs with the drug producers with a view to their reduction.

99·5d. in November, 1961, of which 29·9d. was in respect of the chemists' services, and 1·6d. for the container. Negotiations on drug prices are continuously in progress under the Voluntary Price Regulation Scheme.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the number of prescriptions dispensed, and the average cost per item, for the months of September to December, 1961, inclusive.

The information is as follows: