Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome the announcement by the Minister for Health that the proposal to destroy the Guthrie heel prick test cards is being scrapped.

It is important we realise where we are coming from when looking at the current criteria. A single person is entitled to a medical card while earning up to a maximum of ¤700 per week or ¤36,400 per annum, and a couple is entitled to earn ¤72,800 per annum, or ¤1,400 per week. The current State pension is ¤230 per person per week, a total of ¤11,960 per annum. People earning three times as much as those on the State pension are entitled to medical cards as things stand at present. We are talking about a slight reduction in real terms, reducing the income for a single person down to ¤31,200 per annum and the income for a married couple down to ¤62,400 per annum. Those with an income up to that figure will be entitled to a medical card while those with an income greater than that will be entitled to a GP visit card. All services are not being withdrawn. If people spend more than ¤144 per month, they are entitled to apply to the drug refund scheme. The incomes limits will still be 2.5 times more than the State pension. The alterations are minor.

People talk constantly about the promises made during the election.

Although we never promised to provide an additional 251,000 medical cards and general practitioner visit cards, that is exactly what we have done since entering government.