Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am speaking to the section, recognising the fact that the amendments the Senator put down on this point were ruled out of order. Nevertheless, regarding the significance of these issues, I try to speak to them out of respect for them while recognising the same issues are coming up in amendments later on that have been held to be in order. The eligibility criteria for the enhanced medical card was approved by Government at the time of the publication of the commission's final report. The qualifying timeframe of 180 days or more largely encompasses those who were residents in the institutions prior to 1974, who likely experienced harsher conditions and, indeed, many of whom would be on the older end of the broad spectrum of survivors. I think it is fair to say that those who spent six months or more in an institution are more likely to have endured the negative impacts on their health and well-being from exposure to the types of harsh conditions we know, from the commission's report, existed in them. This ties in with the concept on which the medical card is ultimately based, namely, linking access to health services with the needs of the individuals.