Just when we had grown accustomed to getting Christmas cards from the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, we will have to prepare for Valentine's cards as well. I am not sure the system will be able to cope with that.

Will the Taoiseach outline to the House honestly whether he has any regrets about appointing the Tánaiste, Deputy Harney, as Minister for Health and Children? She came into the House on 18 November 2004 and promised to provide 200,000 "yellow pack" medical cards and 30,000 ordinary medical cards. The doctors welcomed this, as one would expect, but there were no more discussions with them. The cards could not be provided and the Tánaiste then found it necessary to bring in legislation, which was promised within a few weeks but has not appeared. None of that explains where are the 30,000 ordinary medical cards which were to take effect from 1 January. What has happened to them?

I refer to the figures of the GMS payments board, which show that more than 8,000 people, comprising 6,296 in January and 2,068 in December, have lost their medical cards. A total of 64,478 people have lost medical cards since before the general election. In case the Taoiseach says it is because they have received great wage increases, I remind him that the threshold for a single person living alone is €153 a week while it is €284.40 for a married couple with two children. This is after the 7.5% increase in the thresholds from 1 January 2005. Did the Minister for Health and Children miscalculate? Did she think that the simple application of the 7.5% increase would result in 30,000 additional medical cards?

More than 8,000 fewer people have medical cards than were promised. How much more will we accept? People in pain and suffering on paltry incomes are not able to get a medical card and more than 8,000 have lost theirs in the past two months alone.

At the beginning of the year, 1,145, 083 people were covered by medical cards, which is just short of 29% of the population.

It used to be 40%.

Deputy Rabbitte is correct. The health boards continued last year with their management review of the medical card database, which has been a factor in reducing the number of medical cards. The Tánaiste made that clear in the House recently. This exercise last year removed approximately 104,000 cards from the medical register for various reasons.

What reasons?

The Tánaiste is taking steps to ensure people on low incomes can visit their general practitioner and bring their children without being put off by cost.

We expect 230,000 more people to benefit this year.

When?

A total of 30,000 will receive the traditional medical card and 200,000 will get the doctor visit cards.

They are being short-changed.

A short Bill is needed, which must be passed in the House shortly. The Tánaiste hopes all the cards will be circulated before the end of April.

If it is such a short Bill, why is it taking such a long time to emerge? It has nothing to do with the provision of 30,000 traditional medical cards. What is the point in repeating statistics? More than 8,000 fewer people have medical cards and there is no sign of the Tánaiste changing that.

How can the Taoiseach say this Minister is performing? She lost the chief executive of the Health Service Executive and she has presided over the robbing of people in nursing homes. She was not present last night when 1,500 people attended a protest demonstration about the condition of Wexford General Hospital nor was she present last week when 795 people met under the disability banner to protest at the useless nature of the Disability Bill. Her predecessor, Deputy Martin, may have done nothing except commission consultancy reports but she is going backwards. No chief executive has been appointed, no "yellow pack" medical cards have emerged while 30,000 medical cards that were promised have not been delivered and cards have been taken from more than 8,000 people.

The accident and emergency service is in crisis but the Minister did not forget to increase the charge for this service by €10 or increase the drugs refund threshold or increase bed charges by €10 from 1 January but she forgot to deliver medical cards, negotiate with the doctors and to prevent the loss of the chief executive of the health service.

The 30,000 traditional medical cards will be given in April. They are not part of the legislation, which covers the 200,000 doctor visit cards.

They should be given now.

Both will be given before the end of April. This year will see more openings, action and movement across a range of hospitals.