Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 215: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of general practitioner only medical cards in service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32024/07]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 216: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will raise the income thresholds for the general practitioner only card in view of the poor take up of the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32025/07]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 217: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason she encouraged people with incomes marginally above the threshold to apply for the general practitioner only medical card if she did not intend to allocate cards to these people; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32026/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 215 to 217, inclusive, together.

I introduced the GP visit card in November 2005 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. Details of the numbers of GP visit card holders are provided each month to my Department by the Health Service Executive's (HSE), Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS). The figures are provided on a net basis showing the balance after new cards have been issued and other cards, as appropriate, have been deleted from the Executive's database, e.g. following a review of an applicant's circumstances. The most recent figures provided to my Department show 74,671 GP visit card holders as at 1st November, 2007. I am satisfied that this outcome in terms of numbers issued to-date justifies the introduction of this benefit.

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, childcare and travel to work costs. In June 2006, I agreed a further adjustment to the income guidelines for GP visit cards. These are now 50% higher than those in respect of medical cards (previously 25%).

The Programme for Government commits to the following:

Indexing the income thresholds for medical cards to increases in the average industrial wage;

Doubling of the income limit eligibility of parents of children under 6 years of age, and trebling them for parents of children under 18 years of age with an intellectual disability;

Allowing people with disabilities to work without losing key essential medical card cover after 3 years;

Implementation of an annual publicity campaign and making applications easier so as to increase uptake amongst those who are eligible for Medical Cards and GP Visit Cards.

My Department is at present considering the most appropriate approach to the implementation of these commitments.