Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I would be quite happy to hear from Deputy Healy in respect of cases that are not being addressed in the manner that I am saying they are.

For all of these reasons, I commend the amendment to the House. There is no such thing as a medical card on medical grounds. Our system has never awarded medical cards on those grounds. Obviously, Deputies have an issue with the operation of discretion. To support their argument, they have cited the drop in the number of discretionary cards in the system. This is the main argument in support of the claim about targeting. I have demonstrated to the House that a substantial number of those persons who used to have medical cards on discretionary grounds continue to have medical cards, but on income grounds. Something in the order of 23,000 people of the 24,000 people who no longer have discretionary cards have remained in the system because they have been found to be entitled to medical cards on means grounds in the normal way.

For these reasons, there is no basis whatsoever to suggest a targeting of people with discretionary medical cards, as has been claimed in the motion and by Deputies. I commend the Government amendment to the House.

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