John Kelly (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I raise an important issue that has just come to my notice in regard to medical card assessments.

The practice in the past was that if somebody had a house improvement loan it was allowable in the medical card guidelines. A person who had a car for going to work was allowed €50 for depreciation, etc. Since the beginning of April this facility has been withdrawn. I phoned the Primary Care Reimbursement Service, PCRS, yesterday and they told me the legislative basis for it was the Health (Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act, introduced on 28 March 2013. I looked at that Act today in fine detail. If this change is in that Act I am amazed and it is well hidden but I do not believe it is there. To coincide with the introduction of that Act the HSE decided to withdraw both these facilities, which means people will lose their medical cards.

Banks encouraged people to take these home-improvement loans. Yet again, the hard-pressed are being made to pay for this on the double. I am flabbergasted by this. It is sneaky and underhanded treatment of people who are up to their tonsils in debt. Having worked with these people I assure the House that if we take away their mortgages, car loans and home-improvement loans etc., they would be better on the dole. I ask the Leader to bring this to the attention of the Minister for Health and ask him if there should be a legislative basis for the HSE doing this or if it is the case that the HSE cannot be held to account for this.