Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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482. To ask the Minister for Health when children who are recipients of domiciliary care allowance will be approved for full medical cards without assessments, as promised in July 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7186/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I received permission from Government to draft the new Bill in December. This new legislation will effectively mean that all children in respect of whom a Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) payment is made will automatically qualify for a medical card and, therefore, no longer be subject to the medical card means test at any point in the future while in receipt of DCA. The legislation is currently being prepared and will be brought before the Oireachtas as quickly as possible.

In addition to the preparation of the legislation, I have asked the Health Service Executive, so that the proposal can be implemented in a smooth and efficient manner, to commence the process of planning for the requirements of the scheme and how the cards will issue.