109 Mr. Cullimore asked the Minister for Health if, in view of the very serious financial problems incurred by parents with asthmatic children and the care and attention that is required for these children from their parents, he has any plans to alleviate this tremendous financial and demanding burden for these people.

The position is that persons with conditions such as asthma who in the opinion of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board are unable to meet their medical expenses without undue hardship may be granted a medical card which will entitle them to the supply of all drugs and medicines and general practitioner services free of charge.

In the case where a particular child or member of a family is incurring heavy expenditure due to their asthma condition, the chief executive officer may grant a medical card to cover that child or individual rather than issuing a card to cover the whole family.

Any other person with an ongoing medical condition, such as asthma, which imposes a requirement for continuous medication can benefit under the terms of the drug cost subsidisation scheme. This scheme limits the actual expenditure of authorised beneficiaries on prescribed medicines to £32 per month. This scheme is being availed of by many asthmatics and the take up in the scheme emphasises the benefits of the scheme for asthmatics in particular.