Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I would love to see all the reports. I know the Minister has a background as a barrister and is well able to read. Even so, there is no way anybody could get through them all. Politicians are here to cut through the red tape and reports and take action on different topics.

Prior to August 2002, the threshold for the drugs refund scheme allowed people to claim back any costs over €90 per quarter. Under the new drugs payment scheme, people pay up to a maximum of €70 per month and there is no claim back, which has a major effect.

There was a fiasco in the Department of Health and Children recently when it granted medical cards to over 70 year olds. It sounded like a great idea but the Department had not done its research and totally underestimated the number of people in that category. It is time to reappraise our view of what constitutes an old person. People are living for longer and I do not believe that someone aged 70 can be considered old anymore. Medical cards should be targeted where they are most needed.

Medical cards are given to everybody in the United States. This is not necessarily done to provide all persons with free GP care, but it is useful because cards contain information about people's medical history. The Department of Health and Children should consider introducing such a system here, as it would be very beneficial if information such as X-rays and details of medical problems could be stored on a card. If one were involved in a car accident or other emergency, medical personnel in accident and emergency departments would be able to provide treatment in line with one's medical history if they could locate the medical card in one's wallet. The Minister for Health and Children should examine this matter.

It is right that medical cards should be targeted at children. A key element of Fine Gael's election manifesto last year was that such a measure should be phased in. I realise that granting everyone a medical card would not work and would cause further chaos.

Doctors have expressed concern that people with medical cards are availing of drugs that they are not necessarily using. Is it true that such people have a vast supply of unused drugs? Can the situation be rectified in any way, given that it is costing the State quite a lot of money? I do not know what the ideal solution is, but we need to provide medical care for those who need it most.