Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 29 May 1996

Vol. 466 No. 2

Written Answers. - Students' Medical Cards.

Liam Fitzgerald

Ceist:

68 Mr. L. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Health if he has considered the reintroduction of medical cards for full-time students whose parents do not qualify for such facilities but whose household disposable income is very often inadequate to meet the financial burdens caused by the need to meet essential dental and medical treatment for their student children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11185/96]

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 services for themselves and their dependants.

Income guidelines are drawn up by the chief executive officers to assist 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. Medical cards may also be awarded to individual family members.

Persons aged 16 to 25 including students, who are dependants of a person who is not a medical card holder, are not normally entitled to a medical card except where they have an entitlement under EU regulations or where they are in receipt of a disabled person's maintenance allowance. The decision on whether a person is regarded as a dependant or as being financially independent is made by the cheif executive officer of the health board on the basis of the circumstances of each individual case. Students who are financially independent are entitled to apply for a medical card in their own right and are assessed on the same income criteria as all other applicants.

I should also point out that when assessing the medical card entitlement of a family, the income guidelines include an allowance for each dependant and where that dependant is in full-time third level education and is not grant-aided, this allowance is doubled.

It is open to all persons, be they parents or students, to apply to the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board for health services if they are unable to provide these services for themselves or their dependants without hardship. I am satisfied that health boards give sympathetic consideration to such applications when the circumstances warrant it.