Results 301-320 of 1,371 for speaker:Máire Hoctor

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: Income will not be imputed from the property of the person in question for means testing purposes, unless it is rented and the rental income is included as part of his or her income. Savings or similar investments up to €36,000 in the case of a single person, or €72,000 in the case of a couple, will be disregarded and only the interest from savings above these figures will be considered...

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: The Senator has answered her own question.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: Yes, the Senator is correct. Once they are not divorced, they are still considered to be married.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I do not propose to accept this amendment. The HSE is under a statutory obligation to satisfy itself that applicants for medical cards satisfy the criteria set down in the legislation. In doing so, I would expect the HSE to act reasonably, fairly and objectively. However, the language of the amendment — in particular, the words "unnecessarily intrusive or invasive questions" — is...

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I do not propose to accept this amendment as this provision has been drafted in the standard format, which gives the Minister regulatory powers to amend the income limits. I do not propose to depart from this approach.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: To answer Senator O'Toole's question first, that regulation just needs to be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: No.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: Senator Twomey asked me about the €700 and €1,400 figures. Those are based on the income bands of the majority, some 95%, of people over 70, given the available figures that we sourced. It was aimed at the highest number of people who would still retain the medical card, hence the figures of €700 and €1,400 per week.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: Yes. The Deputy also asked about the letter to GPs. We must wait until this legislation is passed and the Department will be then in contact with the HSE which will, in turn, make contact with GPs about this.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: It will come into effect on 1 January.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: That is not the advice we have received.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: If a person has a capital sum in a bank, the interest on the sum will be taken into account in the assessment. A superannuation lump sum in a bank is considered a capital sum.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: The Senator is using the term "capital sum", not us.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Second Stage (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: It was not Deputy Shatter's idea.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Second Stage (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: We volunteered a reduction as well, unlike Senator Twomey.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Second Stage (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: The Health Bill 2008 gives effect to recent Government decisions to end the automatic entitlement to a medical card, irrespective of income, for people aged 70 and over and to introduce new arrangements in order that 19 out of every 20 persons who are 70 years and more will continue to have medical cards under a new income threshold. For those who are aged 70 or more on 31 December 2008 and...

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Second Stage (12 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: For those who turn 70 in the new year, there will be a much simplified means test compared with that applying for the standard medical card scheme, which has been designed to show that their gross income is below the new limits. The new arrangements proposed in this Bill will deliver on the Government's dual objective of prioritising the provision of medical cards to those most in need,...

Written Answers — Nursing Home Subventions: Nursing Home Subventions (11 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I assume the Deputy is referring to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, A Fair Deal. The legislation required in order to introduce the Scheme is complex and involved careful drafting in order to ensure that the interests of older people requiring residential care are fully protected. The Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008 was published on 9 October and the Minister introduced it at Second...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (11 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Dec 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 to 142, inclusive, together. I am very conscious of the important role of carers, particularly family carers. However, as there are no plans to introduce these three initiatives referred to by the Deputy, the Department has not carried out an exercise to estimate the potential cost of introducing them.