Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 27 Mar 1996

Vol. 463 No. 4

Written Answers. - Medical Card Eligibility.

Noel Ahern

Ceist:

95 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Health the entitlements to a medical card and the procedure for special processing for a lone parent currently on medical card, living in a partnership, who takes up part-time employment with net pay of £60 per week whose card has been withdrawn as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6762/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): Under the Health Act, 1970, medical cards are issued to persons who, in the opinion of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board, are unable, without undue hardship to provide general practitioner medical and surgical services for themselves and their dependants. Income guidelines are available to assist chief executive officers in the determination of a person's eligibility and these guidelines are revised annually in line with the consumer price index. However, these guidelines are not statutorily binding and even though a person's income exceeds the guidelines, that person may still be awarded a medical card if the chief executive officer considers that the person's medical needs or other circumstances would justify this.

Assessment procedures are also a matter for the chief executive officers and they have agreed that couples living in a partnership are to be treated under the same income guidelines as a married couple when medical card eligibility is being assessed. They have also agreed that lone parents with dependants are to be allowed the same income guidelines as a married couple with dependants.

Taking account of the discretionary powers of the chief executive officers and the manner in which the income guidelines applicable to married couples are applied to lone parents I am satisfied that the arrangements currently in place ensure lone parents are not denied access to a medical card when the circumstances warrant it.