Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill on the medical card issue in some respects in that some incorrect decisions have been taken on renewal applications. I have had quite a number of cases in which I have had to fight tooth and nail for a medical card to be retained. However, the matter needs to be put in context. Since we entered government, over 267,000 additional medical cards have been issued. Over 2 million, 44% of the population or four out of every ten people, now have a medical card or a GP-only card. Last year alone, an additional 165,000 medical cards were issued. There have been cases in which people with €300 a week above the qualifying limit without any medical complaint had a medical card for the previous three years.

Senator Lorraine Higgins raised the issue of lowering the VAT rate for the construction industry. In 2009 at European level, there was a proposal that for small building projects under €25,000 the rate of VAT would be decreased to 5%. That was to get rid of the black market and people doing work for cash. It is an issue that needs to be examined. If we reduce the VAT rate, we must ensure the black market does not continue. Many would like to undertake renovation work to their houses but have put it off. The forthcoming budget would be the appropriate time to give an incentive for this type of construction work to restart. It would bring a large number of people in the building sector back into work. The country has lost a large number of qualified tradespeople to emigration. If the building industry was to take off in the morning, we might not have a sufficient number of people with the skills required. That is another point about which we need to be careful, too.