Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 14 November 2013

Public Accounts Committee

2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards

12:50 pm

Mr. John Hennessy:

That is a fine point in the context of the legislation. Traditionally, the review process and the review date have been used as the control mechanism. The test for knowingly providing false information in order to claim an entitlement with criminal intent is a much higher test than that which would normally be employed here. In terms of a change in circumstances being picked up on renewal - perhaps due to a cardholder returning to work, for example - strictly speaking and under the provisions of the legislation, his or her card should have been returned. This tends not to happen too often.