Vol. 518 No. 3
153 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Health and Children the effect the taking up of a supervisor's position with FÁS will have on a medical card of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11423/00]
As part of budget 1996, the then Government announced that "persons who have been unemployed for at least one year shall retain their medical cards after entering employment." Persons on the live register for at least one year who take up paid insurable employment were deemed to meet the criteria for retaining their medical cards for three years. The provision also covers participants on approved schemes applicable to the long-term unemployed, including back to work allowance, BTWA, community employment, Jobstart, job initiative, partnership and community group initiative and development courses such as workplace and vocational training opportunities scheme, VTOS. The purpose of the budget provision was to remove disincentives to labour force participation by long-term unemployed persons.
The retention of medical card eligibility is approved for a period of three years when a person, or the spouse of a person, who has been unemployed for a minimum of one year takes up employment. In this context, time spent on the live register, approved schemes or courses for the long-term unemployed is treated as an unemployed period.
I understand that a person taking up a position as a FÁS supervisor is regarded as employed rather than a participant on a scheme. Such a person would be entitled to retain the medical card for three years, provided that he or she was unemployed for a period of 12 months or participated on an approved course or scheme immediately before taking up employment.
