I am really concerned by the number of people who are having their medical cards taken away as we speak. We are at the height of a pandemic and people are being contacted by the HSE, which is taking away those medical cards. Can the Tánaiste please stop this practice?

I know last year there was a moratorium while extensions were given. This year, that has not happened to date. The practice must stop. We know already that medical card thresholds are way too low. People are being hounded out of medical cards and people are being hounded by banks because we will not protect them. If the Tánaiste stopped his obsession with Sinn Féin, perhaps he and his Government could deal with some of these matters.

I am no more obsessed with Sinn Féin than the Deputy is obsessed with berating the Government at every opportunity rather than being constructive. I will certainly take up the matter she raises with the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly. Medical cards need to be reviewed from time to time to confirm that people are still eligible. Special arrangements were brought in during the course of the pandemic and I will certainly inform the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, that the Deputy raised concerns in the Dáil and I will ask him to reply to her directly.