Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

Under this scheme, as the Minister has laid it down in statute, meaning the HSE will have no discretion, the income of a married couple is treated together as one gross sum. As Deputy Barrett correctly pointed out, there is no provision that allows individualisation and as a consequence, an abandoned wife who has an income of only €600 gross can be rendered ineligible for a medical card because the husband who has abandoned her has an income of €1,000 gross.

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