395. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health his plans to extend the long-term illness scheme to asthma patients, given that this is a life-long illness which requires daily medical treatment along the lines of other illnesses which are covered under the scheme, such as epilepsy, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, leukaemia and intellectual disabilities; if he will explain any reasonable grounds for discrimination between a long-term illness such as asthma and the illnesses covered by the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42368/15]

The Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act, 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975 specifying the conditions covered by the LTI Scheme. The conditions covered by the LTI Scheme are as follows: Acute Leukaemia; Mental handicap; Cerebral Palsy; Mental Illness (in a person under 16); Cystic Fibrosis; Multiple Sclerosis; Diabetes Insipidus; Muscular Dystrophies; Diabetes Mellitus; Parkinsonism; Epilepsy; Phenylketonuria; Haemophilia; Spina Bifida; Hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide. There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the LTI Scheme.