Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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123. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the process of medical card reviews. [42738/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I understand the Deputy is referring to the Keane report - The Report of the Expert Panel on Medical Need for Medical Card Eligibility. Eligibility for health services in Ireland, as set out in the Health Act 1970 as amended, is based primarily on ordinary residence and means. All people ordinarily resident in the State are eligible for publicly-funded hospital services. In addition, about two-fifths of the population are eligible for publicly-funded primary care services.

The Deputy will be aware that the Director-General of the HSE established an Expert Panel to examine and recommend the range of medical conditions that would be considered as a basis of eligibility for health services. The Expert Panel was chaired by Prof Frank Keane, Past President of the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland and Clinical Lead, National Clinical Programme for Surgery. The panel included a range of 23 clinical experts from primary care, specialist services and therapies. It also included a patient representative. The work of the Expert Panel was also informed by on-line public consultation and the convening of a patient representative forum to consider the issues.

The Keane report was received by my Department last month and I am considering its findings. The Keane report acknowledged that eligibility is a complex and challenging issue. It is widely known that the report concluded that it is neither feasible nor desirable to list conditions for medical card eligibility.

This is a very detailed report and when I have finished considering its conclusions, discussed them with the HSE and consulted as necessary with the Minister for Public Expenditure and the Attorney General, I will be reporting to Government on the matter.