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

I am seeking the Tánaiste’s guidance on a correction to the record of the House, or at least for him to provide much-needed clarification of a matter. On 20 November 2013, in a response to a question I posed on Leaders' Questions on the Government’s cull of discretionary medical cards, the Taoiseach stated:

The Deputy makes the charge that there has been a change of policy, but let me assure him that since the start of the year some 100,000 new medical cards have been granted, of which 20,000 are discretionary medical cards.

My colleague Deputy Kelleher tabled a parliamentary question to the Minister for Health and received a written reply yesterday, 3 December. His question, Parliamentary Question No. 439, stated:

To ask the Minister for Health the number of new discretionary medical cards that have issued to date in 2013; the number of new discretionary GP cards that have issued to date in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The reply was very short:

The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. However, I have asked the Health Service Executive to supply this information to me and I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as possible.

It seems to have been readily available to the Taoiseach on 20 November. This is also despite the fact that an earlier reply that Deputy Kelleher received from the Minister of State, Deputy White, made it clear in tabular form that there had been a reduction of 10,000 in the number of discretionary medical cards issued to date in 2013.

Someone is not telling the full facts or the truth. While it may not be intentional, I want the record of the House corrected. The Taoiseach cannot come in here and say these things if there is no evidence base to them or if other Deputies cannot secure the evidence base underpinning the Taoiseach’s statement.

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