Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The question of aides and appliances and the treatment of these will all be addressed. It may well be, as Deputy Martin rightly pointed out, that of all of the ministries, the Department of Health is the most challenging because one never knows what pressures may arise from difficulties in various parts of the country. The Minister, Deputy Reilly, is seeking, at central level, to cut the cost of the provision of the services and maintain services so that the children, the sick, the elderly and anyone else who needs medical attention can have it available as close as possible. The answer to Deputy Martin's question is that there will be no change now in the budgetary position which has gone through. These will be implemented.

There are challenges facing the health area but they can be met in the context of a change of culture and a change of structure which will bring about far more cost-effective services for all our people who need them. The evidence in respect of discretionary medical cards speaks for itself. Since the beginning of this year 20,000 new medical cards have been issued on a discretionary basis. Even in the middle of all that, when the assessments were taken into account, many of those people-----

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