Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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586. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration will be given in cases of persons with mental health conditions who are taking up employment for rehabilitative purposes to letters from a relevant medical practitioner confirming the rehabilitative nature of the employment and letters from the employer or employment agency will be sufficient evidence for medical card entitlement or assessment, rather than the existing requirements which are extremely difficult especially for self-employment whereby the Revenue Commissioners request such persons to set themselves up as companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11727/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.

The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.

The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information was issued to Oireachtas members.