Gerald Nash (Labour) | Oireachtas source

He might ask him to take some interest in the bus dispute and the provision of public transport. In fairness, I know that the Minister of State is extremely committed to his own brief and has a long track record of campaigning in this area. It would be appreciated if he could use his good offices to make common cause with the Minister, Deputy Ross, and see if he could express the same interest in his brief that the Minister of State expresses in his own.

We have all dealt with heartbreaking issues in our constituencies over the years. I have been a public representative for 18 years in total. I have been a councillor, Deputy, Minister and Senator - the whole gamut. There are still a few positions that I would like to occupy at some time in the future. In any event, this issue has been deeply frustrating for everybody in public life. They deal with heartbreaking cases involving constituents who simply cannot access the type of support they need when they have children with severe disabilities because they did not meet very tight eligibility criteria to qualify for a medical card. This is €10 million well spent and I want to commend the Minister of State again. It will give peace of mind to children and families right across the land. It shows what we can do with a relatively limited amount of money. We can give that peace of mind and certainty to people who did not previously have it.

This legislation involves a registration system rather than an application system. That is welcome because this will ensure that the process will be expedited for those who qualify. It appears to be quite straightforward but we can never assume that administrative processes will be as simple as they initially appear. We do not want to be dealing with some of the difficult cases in our constituencies that may arise where somebody has been overlooked or has had difficulty when the system goes live on 1 May, only for it to turn out that that person does not receive his or her card by 1 June. I apologise for missing the Minister of State's earlier introduction and remarks. He may have addressed that issue, but we need to be very clear on the process that is in place. I suggest that there be direct communication with the families concerned with regard to data sharing with the Department of Social Protection and indeed the HSE and the Department of Health to ensure that everybody is covered, included and involved, and that everybody who is entitled to a medical card gets it.

I will also ask, and I am sure there is a reason for this, why this is limited to children under 16 who received a domiciliary care allowance and their families, and not children under 18. That might be something that could be considered. I understand that Senator Boyhan may have raised that issue. The problem with regard to the age of adulthood is common across the system, as is the question of when people are entitled to services and so on. The Minister of State might refer to that in his response.

It is good to see a reduction in the prescription charge for single items for those who are over 70 and indeed a reduction in the monthly cap. It is a welcome development and should make a difference, particularly for those who are dependent entirely on the State pension, notwithstanding that it is good to see that the value of the State pension has been increased on a couple of occasions over the last few years. The research shows that older people, particularly those who are struggling, and less well-off socio-economic groups sometimes make choices when it comes to paying for medicines. We do not want to preside over a situation where that choice involves buying food or stretching their medication against medical advice. It is good to see that that is being reduced. I hope to see it being reduced further as resources permit over the next years.