Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I would say to Deputy Bannon that we all have older family members and we know how older people are feeling. The vast majority of older people were not affected by the decision made by the Government. Some 65% of people over 75 years have their medical cards based on means. They were never affected by this decision.

The income thresholds, which the Government announced today, are €700 for a single person and €1,400 for a married couple. Deputy Gilmore asked earlier how we can verify that data. We have given that data to the Labour Party. Higher pension incomes are earned by only 5% of our population.

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