Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I again thank the Senator for raising the issue and will take on board the points she made, which I will feed back to the Minister. As she will be aware, persons aged 70 or older are assessed under the over-70s medical card income thresholds, which are based on gross income. Income from the rent-a-room scheme is not currently exempt from the medical card assessment process. This issue not only lies with the Department of Health but also with the Department of Finance. On what the Senator said about a proposed review, it is important that a review happen in order that we can see what kind of cost would be involved. Some people might only slightly exceed the threshold, but allowing people to earn €14,000 tax free might incur a huge cost on the State. The only way we can find that out is by reviewing the matter, so I will certainly feed back the Senator's comments. The rent-a-room scheme is very important and it could offer important support to older people who are living alone.