Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 6, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following:

"(d) paragraph (b) shall stand repealed on 1 March 2010.".

Fine Gael is in favour of the GP-only medical cards but only as an interim measure. On this side of the House, we propose the insertion of a time limit of 2010 because we fear the Government plans to make this a longer-term option. The only benefit conferred by the new GP-only medical cards is the facility of going to a GP without charge. The cardholders lose out on all the other benefits of a full medical card. Hence, a GP-only cardholder will not have free inpatient or outpatient consultation or have dental or optical work performed without charge, not to mention the cost of medicine. Moreover, a cardholder's children sitting the leaving or junior certificates will be liable for examination fees. Although people have described it as half a medical card, in fact it is only about an eighth of a medical card.

The primary purpose behind the new card was the protection of younger children. We could not countenance the death of a child from meningitis because its parents could not afford a doctor. Under the new scheme, a parent may bring a child with a rash to a GP straight away to get a professional opinion. Fianna Fáil gave a very firm commitment in the last general election to provide 200,000 extra medical cards. However, the Government has not even maintained the number of medical cards, which have actually fallen.

While I accept that people tend to be wealthier now, the Government's policy on giving full medical cards to the over 70s, irrespective of means is daft. Individuals like Dr. Tony O'Reilly and Dr. Michael Smurfit will receive medical cards. Hopefully, my father will reach the age of 70 in a year and a half. Although he has both a Dáil pension and a teacher's pension, he will be entitled to a medical card, which is totally wrong. Mothers with children with ongoing medical conditions come into my constituency office having being turned down for medical cards. We are putting this amendment forward to emphasise that the GP-only medical card needs to be reviewed in 2010. It should only be a temporary measure to allow the Government to rectify the broken promise it made in the last general election to allocate full medical cards to an additional 200,000 people. Recent figures confirm it failed miserably to do so.