The following motion was moved by Deputy Billy Kelleher on Tuesday, 8 October 2013: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: - the number of discretionary medical cards fell from 80,524 at the start of 2011 to 63,126 at the end of 2012; - in the first seven months of 2013 there was a further reduction of 8,142 such cards to 54,984, a monthly average reduction of 1,163; - the Health Service Executive (HSE) set a target for 2013 to reduce the number of discretionary medical cards; - this deliberate targeting was approved by the Minister for Health in the 2013 HSE Service Plan; and - the targeted reduction to 55,328 in 2013 has already been exceeded; agrees that the discretionary medical card is essential for those with serious illnesses, the treatment of which can cause major financial hardship; deplores the decision to deliberately target people in clinical need of such cards; and calls on the Government to: - discontinue the targeting of those with discretionary medical cards; and - ensure that no-one in clinical need is denied such cards where it can cause significant financial distress.

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