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

I raised earlier with the Taoiseach the shocking situation pertaining to the removal of a medical card from Alex Coyle, the presentation of that issue on "The Saturday Night Show" by his parents, and the subsequent commentary by the Jack & Jill Children's Foundation to the effect that it has come across 300 children in similar situations, and it will have more to say about this later. Annette and Declan Coyle spoke movingly about it, and everybody who saw the programme could not believe what has happened. It would go through one's heart, Taoiseach, and I do not understand it. I am aware legislation has been published on one aspect of this but given the clear decision to eliminate discretionary medical cards it appears that some aspect of the legislation on universal primary care must be moved forward. It needs legislative change. I believe the 1970 Health Act provides for the award of discretionary medical cards. I do not agree with the Minister of State, Deputy White, on that. An attempt has been made, almost in a North Korean style, to write discretionary medical cards out of existence and say they never happened, there was never a legal basis for them, therefore, they should no longer exist. That is the narrative that is emerging. There is a legislative template but if the Taoiseach is not satisfied that is the case or he is concerned about it, why will he not bring in urgent amending legislation to ensure the provision of discretionary medical cards in cases such as that revealed on "The Saturday Night Show" and to children and adults with a terminal illness, particularly people with rare syndromes that, by definition, create enormous and multiple challenges for such children? It defies any rational explanation that we could not do that. Can the universal primary care Bill promised in the programme for Government be accelerated now with a view to making such a provision, and when will we see it?

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