Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 284: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved the medical card. [28375/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 285: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will issue a Health (Amendment) Act card, sometimes referred to as a blue card, to a certain sector of persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28377/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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The entitlement of an individual to services under the Health (Amendment) Act, l996 now rests with the Chief Executive Officer of the Health Service Executive (HSE). In respect of persons who have made an application after 20th June 2006, the legal position is clear and unambiguous. The Chief Executive Officer is bound by the definition of eligibility inserted in the Health (Amendment) Act 2006 by section 6 of the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Act 2006, which requires a positive diagnostic test for applications received after the specified date.

In respect of persons who made an application before that date, the Chief Executive Officer is still obliged to satisfy himself that the applicant was infected with Hepatitis C. In that regard, I have asked the HSE to take account of any relevant decision of the Hepatitis C & HIV Compensation Tribunal on the basis that the Tribunal arrives at its decisions after careful consideration of expert testimony.

I have given a great deal of consideration to the issue of women who have neither a positive test result nor a positive Tribunal decision in their favour and I am very sympathetic to the women in question. However, I have to take into account the rationale which led to the clarification of eligibility requirements in 2006 and accordingly, I do not envisage a change in the current eligibility requirements.

I should point out that the women in question are entitled to apply for a regular medical card. Application forms for a medical card are available from the HSE's local health offices. The HSE has discretion to award a medical card to a person whose income is over the financial guidelines, where the HSE decides that the financial burden of medical or other exceptional circumstances would cause undue hardship.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 286: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will investigate the lack of synchronisation between the Health Service Executive medical card lists and the national primary care reimbursement service list in view of the fact that some patients with valid medical cards are not on the PRCS list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28379/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.