Written answers

Tuesday, 5 October 2021

Department of Health

Disability Services

Photo of Cormac DevlinCormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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615. To ask the Minister for Health the preclusions, exclusions or implications that exist for parents who gift via inheritance cash or physical assets to their next of kin in cases in which the children are living with a significant intellectual or physical disability; if they risk losing access to HSE supports or other social services; the efforts that have been made to ease inequalities in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47719/21]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The current Programme for Government commits this Government to improving services and increasing supports for people with disabilities. Disability service provision is based on the needs of the individual, rather than the provision of services based on a specific disability diagnosis. It is noted however that eligibility for the HSE Mobility Allowance, which closed to new applicants in 2013, and Supplementary Blind Welfare Allowance is means tested.

Regarding other HSE supports such as the medical card, under the Health Act 1970, eligibility for a medical card is based primarily on means. The Act obliges the HSE to assess whether a person is unable, without due hardship, to arrange general practitioner services for himself or herself and his or her family, having regard to his or her overall financial position and reasonable expenditure. However, since 2017, all children for whom a Domiciliary Care Allowance (a monthly payment for a child with a severe disability) is paid automatically qualify for a medical card without a financial assessment.

As the assessment processes to determine eligibility for a medical card, the Mobility Allowance and Supplementary Blind Welfare Allowance are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly on these issues, as soon as possible.

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