Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

In the context of long-term illness, as far as I can ascertain in research, there has been no long-term illnesses added to the scheme since the mid-1970s. Will there be an extension of the illnesses that will qualify as long-term illness? Motor neurone disease, asthma, bipolar disorder and many others are not part of the long-term illness scheme. In the context of the roll-out of free GP care for those who are on the long-term illness scheme, will there also be an extension?

I have a slight difficulty when the Government talks about free GP care for everybody. Free GP care for everybody sounds great, but the difficulty is there are many who should be entitled to free GP care who are not getting it and the Government is talking about this grand design and plan of rolling it out to everybody. In the meantime, there are people dying of motor neurone disease or many other major long-term illnesses who will not qualify. Will the Minister of State carry out a review of the long-term illnesses and diseases that will qualify for same?

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