Health promise timing dominates renewed Dáil row

The Government was accused of making promises to fix the medical card system to "ease pressure" on the coalition parties ahead of Friday’s elections.

The issue dominated the first day back for the Dáil after the local and European campaigns.

Michael Noonan, the finance minister, said the HSE would be “told to operate now in a situation that taking cards from sick children is no longer an acceptable option”.

He was asked to give more detail of plans to change the system, as he indicated would happen just 48 hours ahead of polling last week. “A week ago you said that change was on the way, but because of the looming election on the Friday you weren’t going to tell anyone about it because you might be accused of electioneering,” said Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin.

“Are you now saying that is being long-fingered again, and that was only said in the last week or two to try and ease the pressure? Or will there be a definitive, clear policy in terms of both holding discretionary cards for those who desperately need them, and restoring them to very sick children who need them urgently?”

An RTÉ exit poll of last Friday’s elections found the removal of medical cards was an issue for 58% of voters. Mr Noonan said the Government “does not agree with a policy of taking medical cards from sick children”, but it is a fraught issue which “becomes political periodically”.

He said: “One of the reasons that the economy is growing and people are going back to work again is that the Government has controlled public expenditure. And if there is a big block of expenditure like €2bn on medical cards, I think it is reasonable that that would be the subject of a review.”

The current controversy surrounds discretionary medical cards only, which are being reviewed by the HSE in a system that requires lengthy paperwork.

Mr Noonan said that, of the 77,925 discretionary medical cards which have been reviewed, 5,433 have been withdrawn. A further 6,667 people lost their cards because they did not return the forms or they were not filled out properly.

“Obviously it is a serious issue. The Government is committed to examining the situation again,” he said.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said it was disappointing the Government had “learned nothing” from the voters’ message. “You say we can’t afford to pay, but we can afford to pay big bankers, we can afford to pay ministerial salaries.”

Mr Noonan responded that Sinn Féin are “committed to unrestrained public expenditure on all fronts” and will “pile taxation on the shoulders of ordinary people and increase unemployment and cost jobs.”