Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

They will lose their private health insurance because they will not be able to afford it and they will find they will not qualify for a medical card. The people who are slightly over the threshold of €900 a week are those who possibly could afford private health insurance until recently but will no longer be able to do so. They will not be able to access medical care through the medical card system. The Minister has not thought this through. I cannot square the circle of the idea a threshold of €1,400 per week was bad for people over 70 but one of €900 per week is good and I would like an explanation.

We initially had thresholds of €700 per individual and €1,400 for a couple. Last year the thresholds were €600 for an individual and €1,200 for a couple, and we now find it will be €500 for an individual and €900 for a couple. I would like clarity on this issue. What is the logical reason for this? This is just about saving money in a short-term process and there is no point in pretending otherwise. The Bill is contrary to everything stated by the Minister, the Minister of State and the programme for Government, and I cannot accept the Bill. What rings in my ear day in and day out are phrases such as "the cheek of them" and "shame on them". I do not like to be overtly political on Committee Stage because we are going into the detail of the Bill, but it beggars belief we are now discussing a further reduction in eligibility for those aged over 70 when the stated policy of the Government is that eligibility should be extended to everybody. This is problematic for me.

Another area which is not in the Bill but which has an impact is the prescription charge.