Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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434. To ask the Minister for Health when medical card cover will be extended to recipients of the domiciliary care allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28436/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government states "We will extend the entitlement to a medical card for all children in receipt of the Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) in Budget 2017. Approximately 10,000 children will benefit from this initiative". In early June, I met with representatives of Our Children's Health. At that meeting, and in the debate on the Private Members Motion on the 19 July 2016, I reaffirmed the Government's commitment in its Programme to providing medical cards to all children that qualify for the DCA.

I also confirmed that this commitment was a priority for me in the upcoming budget discussions. Detailed financial analysis is currently being conducted in order to establish as accurately as possible the expected costs to the Exchequer in each case.

Subject to the required resources being secured in the upcoming budget negotiations, primary legislation will be required to give effect to this measure and it is my objective to have this prepared and brought to the Oireachtas as quickly as possible after the Budget.

This new legislation will effectively mean that all 33,000 recipients of DCA will automatically qualify for a medical card. Therefore, those children will no longer be subject to the medical cards means test at any point in the future while in receipt of DCA. In accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970 (as amended), eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE. Therefore, the requirements for administering the scheme and how the cards will issue will be a matter for the HSE.