Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Just when we had grown accustomed to getting Christmas cards from the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, we will have to prepare for Valentine's cards as well. I am not sure the system will be able to cope with that.

Will the Taoiseach outline to the House honestly whether he has any regrets about appointing the Tánaiste, Deputy Harney, as Minister for Health and Children? She came into the House on 18 November 2004 and promised to provide 200,000 "yellow pack" medical cards and 30,000 ordinary medical cards. The doctors welcomed this, as one would expect, but there were no more discussions with them. The cards could not be provided and the Tánaiste then found it necessary to bring in legislation, which was promised within a few weeks but has not appeared. None of that explains where are the 30,000 ordinary medical cards which were to take effect from 1 January. What has happened to them?

I refer to the figures of the GMS payments board, which show that more than 8,000 people, comprising 6,296 in January and 2,068 in December, have lost their medical cards. A total of 64,478 people have lost medical cards since before the general election. In case the Taoiseach says it is because they have received great wage increases, I remind him that the threshold for a single person living alone is €153 a week while it is €284.40 for a married couple with two children. This is after the 7.5% increase in the thresholds from 1 January 2005. Did the Minister for Health and Children miscalculate? Did she think that the simple application of the 7.5% increase would result in 30,000 additional medical cards?

More than 8,000 fewer people have medical cards than were promised. How much more will we accept? People in pain and suffering on paltry incomes are not able to get a medical card and more than 8,000 have lost theirs in the past two months alone.

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