In view of the seriousness of bronchial asthma, which has killed many people, will the Minister allow more flexibility to members of health boards to exercise their discretion in allowing medical cards to be supplied to patients under special circumstances? These special circumstances forms are sent to many applicants for medical cards and are filled in appropriately by patients and their doctors but it seems to take a long time before any response is obtained from the board.

That seems to be a different question, Deputy.

I was trying to help the Minister. Undoubtedly those who are just over the medical card income limit, the lower middle class, are the new poor.

There has been a major review of the situation in regard to eligibility criteria, the result of which was presented to us recently. It was because of Deputies Mac Giolla and De Rossa having raised the question of major regional disparities in eligibility criteria that I decided to have that review undertaken.

All my patients have got forms from the Department.

There is considerable leeway available to the health boards in respect of granting medical cards in exceptional cases. I have known the boards to be quite generous, so much so that nearly four out of every ten people now have medical cards. This represents an increase of from 35 to 38 per cent.

We must not spend any more time on this question. There are Deputies who have been sitting here all during Question Time but whose questions have not been reached.

The Minister knows that the people who have medical cards are entitled to them.

We are not talking about medical cards now. I am calling Question No. 15. It is most unfair to other Deputies that a few should hog Question Time.

I do not think you can include me among those who hog Question Time.

That is so, but the Deputy is capable of asking a very long question when she is called.