Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Senators on all sides of this House for their support, not just for the legislation itself but also for its speedy passage, which is really appreciated. When one is in a minority Government bringing legislation before either House of the Oireachtas, one relies upon support from a variety of parties. The fact that such support has been received in both Houses is a testament to our common goal here, which is to right a wrong. That wrong is the fact that almost 10,000 children who are in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance did not have a medical card. More importantly, 33,000 children who are in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance, even if they did have a medical card, were subjected to reviews which were bringing significant hardship, stress, frustration and worry on their families.

This Bill has been long sought by a number of incredible groups who deserve acknowledgment, particularly Our Children's Health, which campaigned tirelessly and put this issue on the political agenda for all of us in the run up to the last general election. It is an issue that all of us picked up the baton for and committed to doing something on. It was certainly a priority for me and for the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, when we came into office, to get this legislation over the line. I am very pleased that it has now passed all Stages in the Dáil and Seanad. It will now go to the President for signature and be passed into law. By 1 June, all children for whom a domiciliary care allowance payment is made will have automatic eligibility for a medical card. The HSE will put in place both an online and paper registration system which will be activated from 1 May.

Let us not forget that this Bill also reduces prescription charges for those over 70 who hold a medical card. This will be of significant benefit to many families in terms of their monthly prescription charges. That is something that I hope we can build on further in future budgets.

I want to pay tribute to my departmental and thank my officials, Mr. Tom Monks and Mr. Daniel Sheridan, and all of those in the Department and the HSE who worked very hard on putting this legislation in place as quickly as possible.I acknowledge that Senator Ó Ríordáin did considerable work on the issue of free GP care. Contrary to what I read in the newspapers, I remain absolutely committed to the introduction of free GP care. However, I remain committed to it in the same manner that the previous Government did, namely, it is subject to a negotiated agreement with GP bodies. As Senators know, we have begun the GP contract negotiations. It is very important that we have buy-in and understanding from our GPs and ensure we have the capacity within general practice. This legislation extends entitlement to a group based on need. I absolutely wish to see free GP care for all children, but it needs to be done in the context of the GP contract.

I assure the House that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is absolutely a priority for me and for the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, who is leading this effort across Government. Senator Ó Ríordáin gave a very honest and fair appraisal of the approach being taken by successive Governments and Departments. We want to put all the legislation in place so that Ireland does not just sign on the dotted line, but signs on the dotted line in a meaningful way. Some legislative work remains to be done in this regard. This remains a priority for the Government as it is for people on all sides of this House.

I again thank the Seanad for its consideration of this important Bill. I have no doubt that it will make life a little easier for significant numbers of families with children with disabilities and a significant number of our older people as well.