Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I am disappointed by that response. The Minister of State said, "Alternatively, they can choose to receive a once-off payment of €3,000 in lieu of a card". To remove two cataracts costs €3,000. That payment is a one-stop shop. A survivor receives that one-hit payment for a life's suffering. That is an absolute disgrace.

I understand the offer of counselling and so on. We will be talking about mental health later. Many of these people do not want that counselling. I welcome the offer of the dental and other services the Minister has listed. However, I am worried. Survivors were promised an enhanced medical card. The Minister of State made reference to "those who were residents prior to 1974, who likely experienced harsher conditions and who are more likely to be at the older end of the broad spectrum of survivors". The survivors envisioned that the enhanced medical card, while not a get-out-of-jail card, would deal with all their medical needs. GP services are offered but most of the survivors already have a GP because they are lucky and were in the system many years ago.

There is something to the offer of dental services because some people have lost out in that regard. I know people who have spent a lot of money on dental services. I also welcome the offer of chiropody and psychotherapy services, and so on. I wanted to find out the date that these enhanced medical cards will issue but we are not going to get it. I understand there is a bit of work involved. I ask for more urgency on this matter because people are not getting any younger. I would like to see a bit of compassion and an assessment on a case-by-case basis. I acknowledge that is a big ask but surely there must be some leeway allowed if someone needs something like a cataract operation. Such procedures should be covered under the enhanced medical card. We do not have a date for the introduction of the scheme. I encourage the Government to speed up the process as much as it can.

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