Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

Dishonesty is destroying the reputation of politicians and of the political system. There is deep and understandable cynicism in the population generally about politicians and politics. It is being driven by dishonest legislation like the Bill we are discussing which deals with income limits for medical cards for the over 70s.

It is important to note what the current Government said in opposition about the issue of medical cards for the over 70s. The Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly said of the Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government:

The Government has lost touch with the people and misled its own backbenchers. It thought it could carry out this attack on the elderly under the guise of patriotism, when it was more like an act of terrorism.

The principle is simple; universal health care for everyone over the age of 70 ... Those are the people who made this country ... They raised us, nursed us when we were sick, protected us from violence, grew our food and ran a proud Civil Service. Are we to repay them by taking away something which was freely given?

Those are the words of the Minister who has twice changed the income limits for over 70s. The Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, said:

Elderly people do not want to be pressurised about means tests and application forms or have to worry about their property, their savings, what they have in the bank, whether a man from government will call to their home or if they will lose their right to the medical card ... they know, understand and appreciate the value of that little card, which is a psychological comfort to them. They know it brings medical benefits when they need them. It is the one certainty of which they are sure in their twilight years.

What did they say when they spoke from the back of a lorry at the protest by elderly people in 2008? According to Miriam Lord in TheIrish Times, the current Taoiseach said, "To take away your right to have a medical card beyond the age of 70 years - I reject it! The cheek of them. Shame on them. Shame. On. Them." The current Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, went on to say "how dare the Fianna Fáil Government disrespect our elderly ... These people 'who worked hard all their lives, often paid high taxes and only want the peace of mind of having the medical card if feeling unwell.' "

He went on to say, "While some tinkering around with income limits may be sufficient to satisfy some of the more gullible Government backbenchers, it won't satisfy the public who simply want to see this plan scrapped". The Minister, Deputy Reilly, the Tánaiste, Deputy Gilmore, and their parties went on to make even more extensive commitments and promises in their 2011 election campaign. They promised to ensure that the vulnerable would be protected. This legislation shows the dishonesty of their position and the fact that while the Government is allowing very wealthy people in our society to get off scot free, it is targeting elderly and ill people and people on low incomes.

This year's budget targeted the elderly again. A total of 40,000 medical cards were targeted for withdrawal in that category. Some 170,000 medical cards have been targeted for withdrawal overall resulting, we are told, in a saving of €149 million. This includes the targeting of the withdrawal of 35,000 medical cards among over 70s with a saving of €25 million. There is to be savings from 22,000 medical cards for those returning to work and their cards are going to be withdrawn targeting a saving of €11 million. A total of €113 million is to be saved from what is called "probity". This simply means withdrawing medical cards from the general medical card population.

We have been told in the Chamber time and again by the Minister for Health, the Minister of State, Deputy White, and others that there is no policy change in respect of discretionary medical cards. No one should believe it. Every Deputy in the House and every Senator in the building knows that there has been a policy change and that elderly people are being targeted by the Government for the withdrawal of medical cards. This is taking place every hour of every day in every constituency office throughout the country. People know the Government has changed the policy and that it is withdrawing medical cards from elderly people on a daily basis. Approximately 1,100 discretionary medical cards have been withdrawn each month since the beginning of the year. Elderly people are entitled to some peace of mind in their old age but they are now being targeted by a Government which promised to support and protect them in the 2011 general election.

Another group of medical card holders is also being targeted, that is, those aged between 65 and 70 years. They are being targeted simply because they may have a small occupational pension. These people worked in the local authority, the health board, on the roads for the local authority, in the post office or somewhere in the public service and may be in receipt of a small occupational pension or their widows may receive a small widow's occupational pension. This immediately puts them over the out-of-date income limits. These people, who have had medical cards for years, are currently losing their cards because they are a little over the limit as a result of their small occupational pension.

Earlier this year the Government changed the rules in respect of eligibility for medical cards. Two of these changes in particular are absolutely obnoxious and should be reversed. I am referring to the withdrawal of the travel to work element. Now, an applicant must bear the first €50 per week of travel to work costs. That may well be fine for the constituents of the Minister of State, Deputy White, in Dublin South but it is not fine for my constituents in Clonmel, Ballyporeen, Tipperary town or Carrick-on-Suir who have no public transport to get to work and who pay €50 per week and more to travel to work. This withdrawal should be reversed immediately. It is hitting rural Ireland particularly as well as people who do not live in areas where there is public transport.

There is another problem with home improvement loans. Some people who improved their homes may have built an extension for a relative. They may have upgraded the kitchen and they would have been allowed to offset the repayments on that against their medical card limit. Again, that has been withdrawn but it should be reversed and replaced.

I call on the Minister to confirm the current position in respect of expenses for childminders because there seems to be a difficulty in this regard as well. In particular, I call on the Minister to confirm whether the central applications office is seeking documentation which is less than three months old. While one may take the view that this is acceptable, let us remember that in the case of United Kingdom pensions, a person only gets one notification per year. There is a particular difficulty in getting such documentation. There is also the question of the delays in medical reviews. I call on the Minister to consider all these issues. This is particularly dishonest legislation. It is driving cynicism and destroying the reputation of politics and politicians in the country.

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