Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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1008. To ask the Minister for Health if the measure announced in budget 2014 is discriminating against married couples with the new medical card eligibility criteria (details supplied); the reason for the bias towards a single person's income thus discriminating against those who are married. [45726/13]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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1018. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the new income limits for medical cards of €900 for a married couple over 70, is not double the single person over 70 limit, €500 as it used to be; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47183/13]

Brendan Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)
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1040. To ask the Minister for Health further to the recently announced changes in the income limits of the over 70s medical card, the reason the change has been disproportionately larger for married couples, down to €900 from €1200, as opposed to €500 from €600 for a single person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45705/13]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent)
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1094. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the medical card income guidelines announced as part of budget 2014 no longer assess the combined income of a married or co-habiting couple as double that of a single person in view of the fact other household compositions such as siblings sharing a home remain unaffected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46113/13]

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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1106. To ask the Minister for Health his views on whether older married couples are being discriminated against under the new medical card qualification terms, as unmarried couples have a ceiling of €1,000 per week and married couples have a ceiling of €900 per week; if he will consider changing the terms so that married couples and unmarried couples qualify for medical cards based on the same income ceiling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46182/13]

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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1206. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider increasing the income limits in respect of medical cards for the over 70s for a couple to €1,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46795/13]

Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
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1234. To ask the Minister for Health the rationale for the difference in the medical card cut-off point of €500 for a single person and €900 for a couple; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46889/13]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1008, 1018, 1040, 1094, 1106, 1206 and 1234 together.

The Government recognises that the living costs of an individual living alone are more than half the living costs of a couple living together and that expenditure does not necessarily diminish relative to the number of people in the household. This is recognised, inter alia, through the provision of the Living Alone Increase and differential income limits for medical cards for persons aged under 70 years between individuals and couples.

In that context, the over-70s income limit for a single person has been reduced proportionately less than the income limit for a couple.