The Minister for Health has said it has become "unnecessary" to introduce a subsidy for antigen tests as the price of kits had fallen since Government began to discuss such a scheme.
Speaking on Today with Claire Byrne, Stephen Donnelly said kits had been broadly retailing at €8 per test and for many people this was "simply not affordable".
He said antigen tests were now available at some shops for between €1.50 and €3. "It is pretty widespread now that the price really has fallen markedly.
We got to broadly the price we were targetting without having to spend taxpayers' money," Mr Donnelly said. "What was important to me was three things on antigen testing; that they're being widely used, that they're being properly used and they're