According to the section on health in the programme for Government, the Government will work with the Oireachtas to sustain annual increases in health budgets so as to improve services to the public. The Government's decision, through the HSE, to not automatically award medical cards to all cancer patients has caused much devastation among people who are already under pressure. For example, persons recovering from cancer can have large chemist bills. Their chemists have been kind enough to tell them not to worry about them for the time being, but they know that they must be paid. I will not prolong this and will only ask the Taoiseach a simple question. Why did the Government make this decision? Can the Taoiseach give people any hope, particularly cancer patients, that they will receive a medical card? It was my belief this would happen, but it has fallen by the wayside.

On the same issue, people who heretofore were diagnosed with cancer received a discretionary medical card for 12 months or so. Like every other Deputy, I deal with a number of clients who are cancer patients. They have applied for a medical card because they have cancer. I have dealt with cases of people who, despite having applied online, have still not achieved a result. They have been diagnosed with serious cancers. There are different types. On behalf of the families who are under enormous stress having been told that their loved ones have cancer, I plead with the Taoiseach to consider this matter and have the medical card applications dealt with immediately.

This is a matter that has been discussed many times in the House and was given detailed consideration by the Government and an expert group established under Professor Tom Keane. The group came to the conclusion that it would not be a good idea to allocate medical cards based on diagnoses. It is worth reading the report and understanding exactly why the group came to that conclusion.