Mr. John Bohan:

I am not sure if that is the case. I think the income disregard in the area of social protection works in a different way. It starts at €120 but extends over a range to €350. The medical card scheme cannot operate in the same way because one cannot taper the withdrawal of a medical card. The Department of Health has been considering various options. It would like to align the income disregard in some way with that in the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, but it cannot mirror it. Therefore, it is looking at options in order to be able to do so. We have been engaged in discussions with the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, of the Department of Health, the section that manages the issue. We have given it information on the number of people in receipt of disability allowance to allow it to do so. I am not fully sure whether there is a need for the Department of Health to change the legislation, but I do not think we need to change ours to allow it.