Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 24 November 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

General Scheme of the Sick Leave Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed)

Photo of Garret AhearnGarret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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Has Dr. Bambrick got the results from previous years to check the number of people per ratio? She said one in seven people has a medical card and one in 27 has a GP card, which seems very low for GP cards when it should be easier to get that card. What were the figures going back two, four or ten years? I do not have the figures but it seems obvious that if we are issuing more medical and GP cards to the nation, more employees will have them. I understand that someone's GP card or medical card takes account of the household income. There is an obvious reason for that. Dr. Bambrick gave the example of a person who might be living with a parent. People who live with their parents often might not pay rent and their expenditure would be less. Has the number of employees with a GP card or medical card increased during the past ten or 20 years?