Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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1116. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when he plans to make medical cards available to all survivors of mother and baby homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19696/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I am acutely aware of the sense of urgency surrounding the establishment of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. Last month, I secured Government approval for the draft Heads of Bill for the Payment Scheme and for the referral of these draft Heads of Bill to the Office of Parliamentary Council for drafting. I have sought priority drafting of the Bill to ensure that it can be introduced to the Houses of the Oireachtas as soon as possible. I have also referred the draft Heads of Bill to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for pre-legislative scrutiny, again requesting their assistance in meeting the urgent need to deliver this Scheme for survivors as soon as possible.

Once the legislation has been passed by the Oireachtas and the administrative infrastructure required to deliver the Scheme has been established, the Scheme will be open for applications for both financial awards and enhanced medical cards. I hope that this will be possible by the end of 2022.

A person will be eligible for an enhanced medical card if they were resident in a relevant institution for 6 months or more.