James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the saving that will be made from the return of 19,445 over 70 years medical cards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14564/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Following enactment of the Health Act 2008, the Health Service Executive (HSE) wrote to all medical card holders aged 70 years and over in January 2009. Persons who were in receipt of a medical card on a non means tested basis were requested, if over the income limits set out in the Act, to make a declaration to the Executive, on or before the 2nd March 2009. To-date, 19,954 medical cards for persons aged 70 and over have been returned or removed from the medical card register as part of an ongoing data quality exercise. The HSE has estimated that the removal of these 19,954 cards will produce savings in excess of €20 million.