John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I am just referring to the issues that were raised.

It was asked what would be the outcome of this measure for people with properties. To reiterate what the Minister, Deputy Harney, has already stated, this Bill gives effect to the Government's commitment not to impute income from property. For the purpose of assessing gross income under this Bill, income will not be imputed from any property, whether it is a family home, a holiday home or any other property, unless it is rented, and only the net rental income, calculated as gross income less any costs necessarily associated with renting the property will be included for this purpose. I do not want to use the word "concession", but there is a realisation that property owned by the elderly will not be taken into account in the means test. I have also been advised that people who are 70 years of age before 1 January and hold a medical card on the basis of automatic eligibility under section 45A of the Act, prior to the enactment of this Bill, shall notify the HSE no later than 2 March 2009 if they have concluded their incomes exceed the gross limits. It is important we acknowledge that the Government wants to ensure the process of self-assessment for persons covered under these arrangements will be much simplified compared to the means assessment process required under the existing hardship-based scheme. Consequently, the HSE has been asked to ensure that any assistance with self-assessment required by a person who is currently over 70 be made available on an administrative basis.

Everybody who has been involved in politics, local or national, over the years — somebody earlier mentioned our time on the health boards — will be aware that often, if somebody was over the income limit but was able to provide medical evidence of certain hardships, he or she would be provided with a medical card. This is not a smokescreen or a cop-out. While some may ask how many of the 20,000 we claim are above the income limit never obtained a medical card, we can also point, on the other end of the scale, to the number of people who were over the income limit but were given medical cards because of hardship or health problems.

The Bill also includes a provision to amend the Health Contributions Act 1979 to provide an exemption from the health contribution for any person who is or reaches the age of 70 on or after 1 January 2009. The amendment will exempt everybody over 70 from paying the contribution regardless of whether they fall into the existing categories exempted under section 11 of the 1979 Act.

I fully support everything the Minister, Deputy Harney, has done, is doing and will do in her attempt to reform the health service. I take every opportunity I can to say that. I also try to avail of every opportunity to say that I have full and total confidence in the HSE. After our days as health board members when we saw extensive duplication of services, it is a welcome change to have one entity in charge of health.

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