James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 258: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of full medical cards which have been removed from persons over 70 years of age in the past six months up to 1 July 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27669/09]

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 2 March 2009.

As at 1 May 2009, 19,954 medical cards for persons aged 70 and over have been returned or removed from the medical card register. 10,690 of these cards were returned to the HSE by persons aged 70 or over whose weekly income was in excess of the specified thresholds and a further 9,264 medical cards were removed from the medical card register as part of a data quality exercise, where for example, the HSE had been advised that the card holder is deceased or the card holder was not known at the address.