Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health if medical cards will be provided to mature students who are over the age of 25 years and return to education and have no source of income. [54636/12]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Under the provisions of the Health Act 1970, medical cards are provided to persons who are, in the opinion of the Health Service Executive (HSE) unable without undue hardship to arrange GP services for themselves and their dependants. Assessment for a medical card is determined primarily by reference to the means, including the income and reasonable expenditure, of the applicant and his or her partner and dependants. The HSE has produced national assessment guidelines to provide a clear framework to assist in the making of reasonable, consistent and equitable decisions when assessing an applicant for the General Medical Services scheme. These guidelines are publicly available and can be downloaded from the HSE's medical card website.