asked the Minister for Health why persons in some health board areas in receipt of disabled persons maintenance allowance or home assistance are not automatically eligible for medical cards in view of the fact that such persons in other areas are so eligible.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Medical Card Eligibility.
13.
In practice a person who has qualified for a disabled persons maintenance allowance or whose basic income is from home assistance is almost certainly eligible for a medical card. The fact that this entitlement has not been declared to be automatic in some areas should not affect the decision on any application for a medical card from such persons. I will ask the chief executive officers of the health boards to look into this question in the course of their current review of the guidelines to ensure that there is in fact uniformity in the declared guidelines.
In view of the fact that Deputy O'Malley is not a member of any health board, surely it is a recognised fact that all persons in receipt of this assistance are automatically admitted into the medical card bracket.
The Deputy is giving information, not seeking it.
I am trying to ascertain how——
Question No. 14.
In view of the fact that this type of question crops up very often here, would the Minister not be categorical about it and say that anyone entitled to unemployment assistance, disablement benefit — all these allowances which are judged on a means test already — will be eligible? It would improve his staffing position and the health authorities in their staffing position if the one means investigation which granted unemployment assistance and disablement benefit sufficed for medical card receipt as well.
I would refer to the question tabled by Deputy O'Malley on 15th November and ask Deputies to read the reply. As far as those in receipt of assistance benefits from the Department are concerned they have already undergone a means test and should be automatically entitled to the medical card.
Are they?
They are.
I am calling the next question.
If the Chair cannot keep order, that is the business of the Chair but we are entitled to ask a question and we want an answer to our question. Are they automatically entitled?
Anybody who is——
Will the Minister say——
Deputy Coughlan will have to desist. He is disrupting Question Time.
He wants to put Deputy O'Malley on the correct line where he has not been for a long time.
The Deputy will have to obey the Chair.
Anybody in receipt of an allowance for which there was a means test should be automatically entitled to a medical card. There is just one exception, that is, home assistance which would be provided for a temporary period. Not necessarily then would an applicant be automatically entitled because the possibility is that after the two or three weeks during which he was getting home assistance he had a fairly good and regular income for the rest of the year. These are all ongoing benefits and means tests have been applied. As I said in the original reply, I will ask the chief executive officers of the health boards to look into this question to make sure that these guidelines are observed over the whole country.
With regard to the Minister's reply——
The Chair has been very liberal in allowing supplementaries.
On a point of order——
The Chair must be obeyed.
——I want to say that I do not think that that was a very fair remark of yours. I will sit down in protest.
Let us educate these young boys who know nothing of health matters.
(Interruptions.)
Order, please.