Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I endorse very strongly what the Minister said about the professional staff, including the management, right across the system in circumstances of enormous pressure. Right across the board, there has been an incredible sense of dedication and commitment to what needs to be done. It is worth stating that, at a time of enormous financial pressure and retrenchment, we still have managed to maintain a very strong health care infrastructure, even in circumstances in which we are under such enormous pressure. My point applies to the primary care system right across the board. Some 38% or 40% of people are on medical cards. I am not seeking praise or thanks but simply saying that we have managed to keep the infrastructure in place, even in circumstances of enormous pressure.

Deputy McLellan is right that in circumstances of family illness, particularly where a child is concerned, the last thing anyone wants to have to struggle with is applications, form filling or box ticking. The humanity of the circumstances is clear to us. We do not want to see people struggling when they are under such pressure already.

We have never had a system in which people got medical cards on the basis of having a particular illness. People have outlined their views on the medical card system on the radio. The system does not distribute medical cards to people on the basis of a particular illness. That sounds like a harsh statement but I am simply repeating it. It is not how cards are allocated but we do have a discretionary system for allocating medical cards to people who have various conditions, such as cancer. However, we must put in place a system such that this can occur. I want it to be done sensitively and do not want it to be a box-ticking exercise. I want us to be aware of the kinds of issues that the Deputy raised. One's income may change over a period of months and may be affected by the illness itself or the circumstances of one's partner. I want the system to take that into account as best it can. If the system can be improved, let us try to achieve that. The system is not such that a person can be automatically given a medical card on the basis of an illness. We must have a way of dealing with that.

I thank Deputy Flanagan for his support on the issue of alcohol. I am aware that he gave very strong support to the public health dimension at a different committee meeting, when he was, perhaps, in a minority. I thank him, other members and particularly the members of this committee, who have a public health perspective. Others have different perspectives, and that is fine also. Our perspective, as stated very well by the Minister, is that alcohol presents a public health issue, particularly in respect of children and young adults. I have no doubt that advertising and sponsorship have an impact on the conduct and behaviour of children and young adults, in particular. I am told by others, including colleagues in the Government, that there is no evidence for this, but there is evidence. There is no direct behavioural link such that someone who sees a billboard will go straight for a drink because the process is far more subtle, but the close association of alcohol with major sporting events is totally inappropriate and should and will be addressed. What I have been trying to do in recent months is maximise agreement across all Departments and Ministers. As with many tasks, this has taken longer than I would have hoped for. We have been doing what I describe with a view to bringing to the Government the memorandum that would have the maximum agreement associated with it. What the Minister, Deputy Reilly, said is absolutely correct.