Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this opportunity to address the House on the Government's commitment to extend medical card provision to all children in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance, DCA, as we set out in our agreed programme for a partnership Government.

I have listened carefully to the contributions of Deputies from all the various grouping. It is clear that the cross-party agreement that we have heard this evening shows that no individual or party has a monopoly on caring about the people of this country, and especially the young people and their families we are discussing here this evening.

Like many of my fellow public representatives, I have been struck by the practical challenges that parents face in meeting the needs of their children with a severe disability. Over the years, I have engaged closely with constituents, neighbours, with the Irish Wheelchair Association in my own county, the Carers' Association, and Laois-Offaly Families for Autism. I am well aware of the difficulties and challenges that parents are experiencing.

I also want to welcome our Children's Help Group who have joined us in the Visitors Gallery.

As outlined earlier by the Minister for Health, there are good reasons for this Government commitment. Approximately one third of children in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance do not hold a medical card. Therefore, approximately 11,000 more children with a severe disability would qualify for a medical card under this new scheme. In addition, all 33,000 children in receipt of the allowance would not in future be subject to the medical card means test and approximately 30,000 families looking after a child with a severe disability would no longer be required to go through the medical card assessment process, leaving mothers and fathers to focus on doing what they do best and what they want to do, which is to provide care and support for their child.

I am convinced that the recently established committee on the future of health care, of which many Deputies here this evening are members, and which acknowledges my own specific remit of maintaining health and wellbeing, can be of great benefit to the future development of our health system. A single long-term vision for health care in Ireland, built on a cross-party or social consensus, can help to drive reform and the system over the next ten years.

I recognise that as a result of a range of improvements to the medical card scheme implemented by the HSE over the past two years it is now exercising greater discretion. This reflects how the economy has improved and that there is now funding available to ensure that people are looked after they way we all them looked after. The number of discretionary medical cards has more than doubled. There are now over 106,000 discretionary medical cards, which is the highest number of discretionary medical cards on record.

I acknowledge the difficulties that some of our citizens are experiencing including, as outlined by some Deputies earlier, discretionary medical cards being refused on the basis of a person's income exceeding the threshold by 19 cent; on the basis of whether a cancer patient is terminal or incurable; and interminable reviews in respect of applications by the elderly. These are all issues that I have come across. I know how frustrating this is for people. I will refer these matters to the HSE for consideration. In regard to the issue raised by Deputy Scanlon, I cannot understand why a decision would be made to rent equipment if it is cheaper to buy it. These are all questions that the HSE will need to answer. I know that they will be taken on board and given careful consideration. A visit by the health committee to the unit which considers medical card applications would be worthwhile.

Deputies will be aware that on foot of the Keane report, the HSE established the clinical advisory group on medical card eligibility. The objective of this group is to develop a framework for assessment and measurement of the burden of disease and appropriate operational guidelines for the medical card scheme. Membership of the group includes clinical experts from specialist services and professions, as well as patient representatives. The group is expected to complete its work and report on it in the future to the director general of the HSE.

I welcome this opportunity for Deputies to discuss this important issue that affects so many families in the country. The Government has given a clear commitment in its programme

to provide medical cards to all children that qualify for the domiciliary care allowance. I am convinced that this will be a priority in the upcoming budget discussions. When the funding is in place we will aim to have the enabling legislation enacted as quickly as possible. I hope that this will reassure Deputies of the commitment of the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, and all Ministers and the Government to deliver this scheme to the recipients of the domiciliary care allowance.

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