Question from Deputy Ken O'Flynn - PQ 13884-26

To ask the Minister for Health whether her Department receives, holds, or reviews aggregated data from the Health Service Executive or the Primary Care Reimbursement Service on the exercise of discretion in medical card eligibility decisions following a means assessment; the total number of applications in which discretion was considered in each of the years 2020 to 2025; the number granted on a discretionary basis; the number refused following discretionary consideration; whether such data is disaggregated by age cohort including persons aged over 70; whether the Department analyses trends or regional variation in discretionary decision-making; and the policy, audit, or governance mechanisms in place to ensure national consistency in the exercise of discretion under the general medical services scheme.