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

The legislation runs contrary to everything in the programme for Government. I can go through it line by line. It states:

Where—(a) a person—

(i) was married to another person until that other person’s death,
(ii) was living with another person as husband and wife until that other person’s death, or
(iii) was a civil partner as respects another person until that other person’s death...

Everything in the section is at complete variance with and runs contrary to all of the stated polices in the programme for Government, as announced in 2011. The idea that the proposal is a cost-saving measure that the Government could not have foreseen is patent nonsense. It is a U-turn of enormous proportions. I must be repetitive about this because we were told the eligibility criterion, involving an income limit of €1,400 per week for a married or cohabiting couple, would affect people's ability to gain access to services, thus having a negative effect on their health. We were told this clearly, but we are now being told by the Minister that a limit of €900 is not that bad. It will obviously put huge pressure on more families.

The last line of the provision states: "their combined gross income limit is €900 per week, not including the income from the portion of their savings or similar investments whose capital value does not exceed €72,000”. People over 70 years are resilient and resourceful. The Tánaiste said previously that they had marched for civil liberties, women's rights, pay equality and, only a few years ago and also a few weeks ago, for the entitlement to a medical card. We now find their income threshold is being reduced. On top of this, there are issues that will obviously have a detrimental impact on their health. If one does not have a medical card, one receives a GP card, but the GP refers a person to hospital, where he or she will be charged €80 per night up to a maximum of ten nights in the year, totalling a maximum of €800. There are charges being imposed all the time by stealth on persons who will have to gain access to health care without a medical card. This will have an impact on their health. The prescription-only charge will have an impact.

I am speaking to the Bill. I tabled amendments that were ruled out of order, but I have conceded that the concept of universality has been breached by us previously. To be consistent, I am asking the Government to raise the threshold to the original €1,400 per week per person. That is fair and rational and it would, in some way, be constructive. The idea that a figure of €1,400 was terrible for people, while €900 is not so bad rings very hollow.

The 35,000 people affected have a fixed income at their stage in life. Their earning capacity is no longer such that extra income can be generated. Their savings' capital value must not exceed €72,000 and they now have a property tax on their house. Therefore, their disposable income is greatly diminished already, yet we are asking them to pay €80 per night when they go to hospital. If one considers the profile of those over 70 years, one realises very many of them have private health insurance. The cost of private health insurance will go up for the average family by €350 to €360 next year. Many of the people in question, therefore, will not be able to afford private health insurance and will enter the public hospital system. This runs contrary to what one would expect. I cannot accept the Minister's arguments, primarily because I do not believe he believes in them himself and also because they run contrary to everything that was stated policy as recently as the time of drafting of the programme for Government.