Pledge to honour GMS plan

DAIL REPORT: The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, said the Government would eventually honour its general election commitment to extend the medical card scheme. "Every promise we made in 1997 was honoured," he said. "We will honour this one also."

Mr Smith was responding to angry Opposition charges during the Order of Business that the Government had abandoned its promise on medical cards.

The Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, asked Mr Smith when the Bill dealing with health complaints would be brought before the House "and whether the 200,000 people who have been cheated of medical cards will be able to make complaints under the Bill for betrayal by the Government". He said a Fianna Fáil backbencher had told them to go and see their local community welfare officer. Mr Smith said the Bill would be introduced next year.

The Labour chief whip, Mr Emmet Stagg, said the poor had been targeted by the Government in a shameful way. The party's spokeswoman on health, Ms Liz McManus, said when the issue of medical cards for those over 70 was raised by doctors in negotiations with the Government, a commitment was made to widen the income limits for eligibility.

Mr Willie Penrose (Labour, Westmeath) asked if it was proposed to amend the forthcoming Social Welfare Bill so community welfare officers could issue medical cards to the poor and disadvantaged.