Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for keeping me on my toes today.

First, I acknowledge the difficult year older people in our society have experienced as a result of Covid-19. They have shown tremendous resilience in helping to fight the spread of Covid-19. The issue the Deputy raises is one that is very close to me as Minister of State with responsibility for older people and mental health.

Budget 2020 provided for an increase in the medical card thresholds for persons aged 70 and over. The threshold is currently €900 for a couple but would increase to €1,050.  While it was intended that this measure would be implemented from July, it was not possible to legislate for the necessary amendments to provide for this measure until there was a fully constituted Dáil and Seanad. The Deputy is quite correct. The Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, was very pleased that his first piece of legislation was the Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act 2020, which provides for the increases in the income thresholds.

When that measure was proposed in the budget last year, it was set to be introduced if sufficient savings were made in the health budget this year. As we are all aware, that is not possible at the moment. Those savings have not been realised as the pandemic has placed a significant demand on public finances, a substantial proportion of which have been allocated to the health system. In that context, decisions on the associated funding and a potential implementation date are being actively considered. I have sat down with the Minister on this matter because it is something we need to move on. I want to see it happening and it will be discussed in the context of the budget. I am hopeful that we will be able to bring this in. It would mean that for those over 70 who have an income of €900 and have missed out on a medical card, the threshold would increase to €1,050. I will be pushing this issue hard.

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