Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I am not skirting any issue. The issue of whether everyone over 70 is entitled to a bed funded by the State and if a bed in a public facility is not available, whether the State must fund a bed in a private nursing home is being tested in the courts. As we know from the 29-year-old issue concerning charges, no legislation we introduced could be retrospective. I do not know how this will be determined.

We must decide what individuals are entitled to, both in terms of inpatient and primary care services and other services. Deputy Twomey is aware that the issue of the long-term illness card frequently arises. I understand Deputy Twomey has asked me about this scheme during meetings of the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children. No new disease or condition has been added to this scheme since 1978, chiefly because of the cost involved in adding them and the entitlements which flow on foot of it. Clearly, it is not acceptable to preside over a scheme which has effectively been frozen since 1978. All these areas, including services to which the medical card and long-term illness card entitles people, the question of whether these schemes should be married together, the hospital services to which people are entitled and who might make a contribution and when must be the subject of separate legislation. Until we have this legislation, we will not achieve clarity in this area. This legislation will not be ready for a number of months because it is a mammoth and very complex task.

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