Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 157: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of people currently holding full medical cards, per county; the number of people currently holding general practitioner only medical cards, per county; the number of people holding medical cards in June 2002, per county; and the number of people holding medical cards in June 1997, per county. [13197/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I attach a table for the Deputy showing the total number of people currently holding medical cards and GP visit cards; the total number of people holding medical cards in June 2002, and the total number of people holding medical cards in June 1997. The most recent monthly figures for medical card and GP visit card holders as supplied by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to my Department are as at 1st March, 2007.

As the HSE has the operational and funding responsibility for these benefits, and as the detailed information sought by the Deputy is not available in my Department, the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive has been requested to address this matter and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

There are a number of contextual factors which must be taken into account in interpreting these data.

The Health Strategy Quality & Fairness committed to making improvements in the income guidelines in order to increase the number of persons on low incomes eligible for the medical card and to give priority to families with children. In November, 2004 I set out my priorities for new health initiatives in 2005 including the provision of medical cards to an additional 30,000 people and GP visit cards to 200,000 people. Funding of €60 million was provided to the HSE for these measures. The two initiatives were intended to assist those on low and moderate incomes in accessing GP services and to help remove disincentives to people taking up work or progressing to better paying work. Following the enactment of the necessary legislation and the conclusion of negotiations with the Irish Medical Organisation, the first GP visit cards were issued by the HSE in November, 2005.

Taking holders of medical cards and GP visit cards together, some 1.287m persons (30.39% of the national population) now have access to general practitioner services free of charge.

In recent years there have been significant improvements to the way in which people's eligibility for medical cards and GP visit cards is assessed. Since the start of 2005, the income guidelines used in the assessment of medical card applications have increased by a cumulative29%. Other significant changes in 2005 mean that, on a standardised basis nationally, assessment is now based on an applicant's and spouse's income after tax and PRSI, and takes account of reasonable expenses incurred in respect of rent or mortgage payments, child-care and travel to work. Initially the GP visit card guidelines were 25% higher than the medical card guidelines however in June, 2006 I agreed with the HSE to further increase the income guidelines for GP visit cards and they are now 50% higher than those used for medical cards.

The HSE (and before 2005 the health boards) have undertaken a substantial programme of work in recent years to improve data quality in the GMS client database. For example, in 2003 and 2004, work carried out by the health boards led to a deletion of approximately 104,000 inappropriate entries where, for example, there were duplicate entries for the same person, the expiry date on the card had passed, the person had moved away or was deceased. This exercise did not involve any reduction in the actual number of people who held medical cards but rather resulted in a more accurate picture of the number of individuals in receipt of GP services under the GMS Scheme.