Cowen puts FF ahead of pensioners - Opposition

TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen was accused of putting his party ahead of pensioners in attempts to resolve the medical card controversy, during heated Dáil exchanges.

The Opposition also claimed that by ending the “universality” principle of automatic entitlement to a medical card for those over 70, the Government had paved the way to remove other pension entitlements such as free travel.

But in a staunch defence of the Government’s approach, Mr Cowen claimed Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny was “peddling untruths and scaremongering”.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore asked if 95 per cent of people were retaining their medical card, “Why don’t you just to do the decent thing and leave them with the automatic entitlement to a medical card?” He said pensioners were worried that “if you start today withdrawing the universal entitlement to the medical card, where are you going to stop? Is it going to be the bus pass next year, is it going to be something else the following year?”

Mr Cowen insisted that “there is no question of other free schemes being in any way involved depending on medical card. Anyone who has a cursory knowledge of the social welfare code knows that to be the case. It is the entitlement to pension that provides that link.” He said the Government had made a comprehensive response to allay public concern. He told Mr Gilmore that with the new arrangements, “the requirement for the GP-only card or the fee payment doesn’t arise”.

Mr Kenny accused Mr Cowen of “creating fear and concern among the elderly population” and called on him to give a guarantee that “when you ram this through – this shameful, disgraceful, callous decision – that you won’t follow through with decisions in regard to electricity allowances, telephone allowances and travel allowances”.

Mr Kenny claimed each intervention by Mr Cowen was “not on the basis of dealing with the elderly, but of quelling the revolt in the backbenches of Fianna Fáil”. He said “the saving involved is €30 million, half of what was spent on electronic voting machines. Principle and courage are what is required here. You could have done this in an entirely different way.”

Mr Cowen replied that “what isn’t an example of principle or courage is peddling untruths or scaremongering”, and he said Fine Gael “were not proponents of the principle of universality when the medical card for over-70s was introduced”.

He added: “Call me callous, call me all the names you like, but as far as I’m concerned I will continue to provide leadership in the solution of problems, not in your exaggeration of them, your misrepresentation of them.”

Mr Gilmore asked what would happen if someone above the income threshold did not declare it. “Would the HSE be entitled to go after them for the health costs that they incurred while they held the medical cards?”

Mr Cowen said the “notification should be voluntary. Obviously there is administrative data that will be available to Government . . . . but I believe that most people will in fact comply.”