Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 248: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of general practitioner cards issued to date at the latest date for which figures are available, broken down on a county basis. [13792/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Medical cards are made available to persons and their dependants who would otherwise experience undue hardship in meeting the cost of General Practitioner (GP) services. In 2005 the GP visit card was introduced as a graduated benefit so that people on moderate and lower incomes, particularly parents of young children, who do not qualify for a medical card would not be deterred on cost grounds from visiting their GP.

Since the beginning of 2005 substantial changes have been made to the way in which people's eligibility for a medical card is assessed and these apply equally to the assessment process for a GP visit card. The income guidelines have been increased by a cumulative 29% and in addition allowance is now made for reasonable expenses incurred in respect of mortgage/rent, child care and travel to work costs. In June 2006 I agreed a further adjustment to the assessment guidelines for GP visit cards and these are now 50% higher than those in respect of medical cards.

As the Health Service Executive has the operational and funding responsibility for these benefits, it is the appropriate body to arrange to address this matter and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 249: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of medical cards issued at the latest date for which figures are available; and the numbers issued at January 1997, January 2002, January 2003, January 2004, January 2005 and January 2006. [13793/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Details of the numbers of medical cards are provided to my Department each month by the Health Service Executive's Primary Care Reimbursement Service. The most recent figures provided are as at 1st March, 2007. In 2002 and in 1997, details of the number of medical card holders were provided to my Department on a quarterly basis and accordingly the table I attach for the Deputy shows figures for December 2001 and December 1996 in lieu of 1st January 2002 and 1st January 1997. These quarterly figures reflect the number of medical card holders on 30th November of the relevant year.

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

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.