asked the Minister for Health if he will extend the medical card scheme to include all widows, all persons over 65, all persons suffering from long-term illness, and all persons with income of less than £3,500.

There are no proposals at present for such an extension.

Is it not a fact that when speaking in the Dáil in 1974 the Minister said that the extension of the medical card system to the groups mentioned here was inevitable, unanswerable and should be automatic? What has happened to the Minister's thinking on this subject since 1974?

I am bringing in a very considerably expanded scheme of health services as from April next.

Not for medical cards.

The Minister told us recently in answer to a question that the cost of a scheme of this kind would be about £8 million or £10 million and that he is collecting £30 million under the insurance scheme to be brought before the House.

Later on in reply to another question I will be giving the figures for the cost of the services.