Vol. 473 No. 4
180 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Health the number of medical cards withdrawn in 1996 from elderly people over 65 years in each of the Eastern Health Board community care areas; if this number increased from previous years; and if he will make a statement regarding the situation with Area No. 6 where it appears medical cards have been withdrawn from a number of old age pensioners who had medical cards for years. [1548/97]
Limerick East): The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available. I will arrange for my Department to write directly to him when the information has been compiled.
I have been assured by the Eastern Health Board that there has been no change in the board's policy regarding the medical card entitlement of persons aged over 65 years and that the entitlement of such persons continues to be considered in a sympathetic manner in all community care areas.
181 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Health the take-up of the scheme announced in the 1996 budget allowing long-term unemployed to retain their medical cards when they took up employment; the numbers involved; if the Eastern Health Board or other health boards were allocated an additional budget for this purpose or were they to operate the new scheme from within existing resources. [1549/97]
Limerick East): The information the Deputy has requested regarding the numbers of persons who have benefited from the 1996 budget provision is not readily available. Some persons who qualified for retention of their medical card under the 1996 budget scheme could have been entitled to retain their card under previous arrangments.
With regard to the need for additional funding, it should be borne in mind that the overall number of persons eligible for medical cards at any time is influenced by a wide range of factors. The most significant of these would include the overall performance of the economic and demographic trends. In the period from December 1995 to September 1996, the percentage of the population eligible for medical cards declined in each of the eight health board areas while the total number of eligible persons fell by 16,805. In these circumstances it has not been considered necessary to provide additional resources to health boards to implement the scheme.
