Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Nobody believes that parents should be stressed or put under pressure in respect of their children. That is one of the reasons the Government has the objective of introducing universal health insurance in the long term. In the short term, nobody wishes to see parents stressed by difficulties with their children. Clearly, a far greater degree of discretion has been applied because 22,000 extra discretionary cards were granted from mid-2014 to the end of 2014.

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