556. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if her Department will take steps to ensure medical card eligibility thresholds are reviewed and adjusted regularly in response to rising social protection payment rates and inflation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22697/25]
Topics / Medical Cards
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsMedical Cards
399 questions from 99 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
399
questions
398 written, 1 oral
99
TDs have asked
11
parties and groups
Independents counted together
5
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 6 |
| February 2025 | 24 |
| March 2025 | 23 |
| April 2025 | 18 |
| May 2025 | 31 |
| June 2025 | 15 |
| July 2025 | 14 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 14 |
| October 2025 | 4 |
| November 2025 | 33 |
| December 2025 | 43 |
| January 2026 | 24 |
| February 2026 | 29 |
| March 2026 | 15 |
| April 2026 | 20 |
| May 2026 | 18 |
| June 2026 | 28 |
| July 2026 | 14 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 13 |
| October 2026 | 13 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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68
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38
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14
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10
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10
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9
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8
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7
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
572. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Health if her Department has investigated the costs associated with extending medical cards to third level students; if she intends to provide these to students and the costs associated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22791/25]
373. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Health to outline the rules for the dispensing of prescriptions to medical card holders, including the number of months that can be dispensed at a time; and to confirm the way in which pharmacies are paid to dispense prescriptions under the medical card scheme. [21978/25]
195. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if she intends to index medical card income thresholds to annual social welfare increases to prevent the loss of medical card access for low-income individuals with disabilities. [21418/25]
266. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Health her plans to increase medical card income limits; and if she will consider adjusting the thresholds in line with increases in social welfare rates to prevent those with long-term chronic conditions from losing eligibility. [21665/25]
2003. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health her plans to ensure access to care for medical card holders who have an entitlement to dental treatment as provided for under the dental treatment services scheme; if there are plans to improve or replace the scheme to ensure access for patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18690/25]
2063. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Health the reason medical cards have been revoked for persons (details supplied). [19060/25]
2324. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Health if melatonin will be made available under the medical card scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20242/25]
2401. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if she will examine a difference of opinions in regard to the validity of a medical card for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20677/25]
2450. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she will explore incorporating disability-related expenses into the medical card means test, particularly for individuals with ongoing high disability-related and health costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21042/25]
2464. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if her Department will revise the current means testing system for medical cards to formally include the "cost of disability" as an allowable expense category in determining eligibility for the medical card. [21164/25]
2471. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health if she will review and revise the medical card means-testing system to assess income after deduction of essential disability-related expenses, in order to more accurately reflect disposable income and improve fairness in eligibility decisions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21215/25]
2475. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if consideration has been given to introduce an automatic annual adjustment of medical card income thresholds in line with changes to core social welfare payment rates and or inflation. [21246/25]
2482. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Health the number of individuals granted a medical card or GP visit card in each of the years 2023 and 2024 who had to be assigned a GP by the HSE, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21270/25]
383. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she intends to revise the fee paid to optometrists under the medical card scheme; if so, the status of these plans; the timeline for its implementation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18169/25]
384. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she intends to increase the scope of practice for optometrists (details supplied); the work being undertaken in her Department with respect to this proposal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18170/25]
912. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if there is a form of reimbursement, full or partial, for medical card holders if they attend a private hospital. [16814/25]
934. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1593 of 19 March 2025, if her Department will provide further clarity as to the reason two individuals (details supplied) were refused medical cards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16885/25]
1002. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Health when she will bring forward proposals to provide medical cards for children over eight-years-of-age as proposed in the Programme for Government. [17411/25]
314. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health when a decision will be made on a medical card application (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16433/25]
296. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to urgently review, and approve, a full medical card to be issued to a person in County Kerry (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16019/25]
218. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education to issue as a matter of extreme urgency and as previously promised, enhanced medical cards to all survivors of industrial schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14812/25]
239. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education if she will meet with survivors and advocates for industrial school survivors, (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14813/25]
243. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education the supports and services now in place nationwide for survivors of industrial schools since funding was allocated in November 2023 of €275,246 and again in 2024 of €275,246 (total funding to date of €550,492) to an organisation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14834/25]
244. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education to expedite the long-delayed Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024 through the Oireachtas, as quickly as possible in order that survivors of industrial schools will at long last have access to the 'enhanced' medical card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14835/25]