Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 238: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her estimate of the number of people holding a medical card on the basis of the EU pension rule; and the percentage this represents of total medical card holders. [26447/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Regulation (EC) 1408/71 deals with the coordination of social security schemes, including healthcare, for those moving within the European Union. Under its provisions, persons residing in Ireland who are attached to the social security system of another member state are entitled to receive healthcare services in Ireland at the cost of the member state with which they are affiliated. This is in accordance with Annex VI of the Regulation (text relating to Ireland), which states that such persons "are entitled free of charge to all medical treatment provided for by Irish legislation where the cost of this treatment is payable by the institution of a Member State other than Ireland." Such persons receive a medical card as evidence of their entitlement, although this is not based on national legislation.

Persons covered by the above Regulation include persons in receipt of a qualifying pension who are not also in receipt of a qualifying Irish pension, and their dependants. In regard to the number of such pensioners residing in Ireland, the most recent statistics provided to my Department indicate that in 2006, of the 110,000 pensioners resident in Ireland in receipt of a contributory pension from the UK, approximately 51,000 were entitled to hold a medical card under EU regulations. This represents 4.03% of the total number of medical card holders as at 1 October 2007 (1,264,434, representing 29.82% of the total population). The number of pensioners from other countries holding medical cards under the EU regulations is not readily available but is understood to be very small.