Mr. Tony O'Brien:

Very good. I will group the issues because I need to bring in colleagues, if that is acceptable to the Chairman.

To start with the issue of medical cards, on the issue of the clarity of information, I will show colleagues that the actual medical card application form is stamped with a plain English stamp approved by the National Association for Adult Literacy, NALA, and we are committed to working with it regarding all correspondence. The comment made by the Deputy just before we adjourned, therefore, is very much taken on board.

It is important to stress that the Health Service Executive, HSE, is administering the system we have rather than the system we might wish to have. Each person who receives an assessment, which tells them whether they have been successful, and in particular those who receive an assessment stating they have not been successful, whether that is for a standard application or for an application in the discretionary sense, will receive a detailed statement outlining the financial data known to us which has been used as the basis of the assessment. To date, I am told that no one has ever challenged the accuracy of that assessment. As the members receive inquiries, and I know many members receive many inquiries, I would encourage them to ask those inquiring about the outcome of their assessment to show them that piece of information. I say that specifically because while I hear myself and am aware of the particular challenging circumstances with which many parents and families are faced, having regard to the medical conditions of members of their family, it is the financial impact of those challenges that the HSE is obliged to take account of, not the challenge itself. I say again that we are administering the system we have, not necessarily the one we would wish to have.

Regarding some of the detail of how the process is pursued, I will ask my colleague, Paddy Burke, if he wishes to add anything.