Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
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1043. To ask the Minister for Health if the expert panel has finished its work or made any findings in terms of their review of illnesses for inclusion in the long-term illness scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34052/14]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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1058. To ask the Minister for Health if she will consider adding irritable bowel disease and related chronic gastrointestinal disorders to the list of conditions covered under the long term illness scheme and to the list of illnesses which would create an entitlement to a medical card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34150/14]

Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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1063. To ask the Minister for Health the progress made in the proposal to grant medical cards based on medical need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34171/14]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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1160. To ask the Minister for Health if medium chain acyl coa will be considered as one of the qualifying illnesses for automatic entitlement for a medical card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32952/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1043, 1058, 1063 and 1160 together.

The Government decided that, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Public Expenditure, the Minister for Health would revert to Government with options for providing eligibility for a range of health services on the basis of specific and defined medical conditions. The Government has not specified that a person with a particular medical condition, such as medium chain acyl coa, irritable bowel disease or related chronic gastrointestinal disorders, would qualify for a medical card per se. Instead, it will take into consideration the recommendations of specific medical conditions by an expert panel examining the issue.

In support of this work, the Director-General of the Health Service Executive established an Expert Panel to examine and recommend the range of medical conditions that should be considered as a basis of eligibility. The Expert Panel is chaired by Professor Frank Keane, past-president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and clinical lead of the National Clinical Programme for Surgery. The panel includes a range of 23 clinical experts from primary care, specialist services and therapies. The panel also includes a patient representative to ensure that the views of patients are central to the process. The Expert Panel is to report to the Director General of the HSE, who will then advise the Minister of the outcome of the deliberations of the Expert Panel.

The Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act, 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975 specifying the conditions covered by the LTI Scheme, which are as follows: Acute Leukaemia; Mental handicap; Cerebral Palsy; Mental Illness (in a person under 16); Cystic Fibrosis; Multiple Sclerosis; Diabetes Insipidus; Muscular Dystrophies; Diabetes Mellitus; Parkinsonism; Epilepsy; Phenylketonuria; Haemophilia; Spina Bifida; Hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide. There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the LTI Scheme.