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

10:50 am

Mr. Patrick Burke:

Yes. Of the clients who did not have eligibility confirmed following an assessment of their means against the guidelines and taking into account medical or other circumstances involved, 50% of the 6,324 were more than 200% above the guideline figures, while 92% were more than 50% above them. The point I am making is that we reconcile the numbers flagged on a database simply to manage and control the data. Where we issued a medical card but exercised some level of discretion, we put a flag beside that registration. As we review them and some of the clients, when assessed and taking their means into account, receive a medical card, we no longer maintain that flag. That does not mean that their medical card is gone. They have eligibility and a medical card.