Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I beg the Taoiseach to listen for once to what is being said by Deputies in this Chamber and members of the public outside it. His answer is incredible and does not tally with reality.

As I stated, I received a letter at the weekend from a woman who wrote to the Taoiseach on 23 September. I will not name the person who wrote it but if the Taoiseach reads it, he will see that what I have said is the truth. He should ask Deputies where the issue of discretionary medical cards rates as a percentage of the cases they receive. This is, by any yardstick, the most common issue raised with every Deputy.

The Government continues to argue that the practice I described is not happening. The Taoiseach should read the letter dated 23 September and instruct the authorities to stop using the term "undue hardship". The woman who wrote the letter states she received a letter from the authorities indicating the withdrawal of the discretionary medical card would not cause her family "any undue hardship". "I beg to differ", she writes. Her family is now being assessed on this basis rather than on need, which was the basis on which her child was originally granted a discretionary medical card.

I have a list of similar cases, including one involving a 12 year old with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome whose appeal against a decision to refuse a medical card has been ongoing since July. In another case, a 50 year old woman with multiple sclerosis has just lodged an appeal against a decision not to renew a discretionary medical card.

Another person with multiple sclerosis, who is 39 years old, was refused and has appealed. I earlier mentioned the child with complex medical disorders. A 70 year old with very complex ongoing medical issues had a card for ten years and that person also has huge difficulties.

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