Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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443. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the couple allowance is not exactly double that of the single allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47956/13]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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498. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the eligibility criteria for a couple over 70 years for a medical card is no longer double that of the single applicant over 70 as was previous custom and practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48369/13]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 443 and 498 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.