Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): Last week, I announced that the Government is expanding the New Zealand e-prescription service to make it easy for people to get the medicines they need. Sending prescriptions electronically makes sense because it can be faster, safer, cheaper, and more convenient and, most importantly, can be done without using a fax machine. This change will be made through amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977, and the Medicines Regulations 1984, with changes expected to be in place by the end of the year. That means controlled drugs can also now be prescribed and dispensed this way.