A network of voluntary groups working with older people has today called on the Minister of State Máire Hoctor to look at more effective and fairer ways of making cost savings than those contained in the Budget.

At Active Retirement Ireland's national council meeting today, what was addressed by the Minister of State for Older People, Máire Hoctor, Active Retirement chief executive Maureen Kavanagh questioned the potential savings to be made by means-testing 5 per cent of over-70 year-olds to check their eligibility for a medical card.

“Throughout the recent debate on the medical card, the Government failed to say how much it intends to save by imposing its revised means-test scheme,” she said. “Active Retirement Ireland believes there are heavy administrative costs associatedwith the revised scheme, which could potentially offset any savings to be made."

She said that the medical card scheme for over-70s could be better policed and more effectively administered to ensure there is no abuse of the scheme by GPs or recipients.

"Putting more stringent policing systems in place would be a far better way to produce long-term savings than excluding five per cent of older people from the right to a medical card."

Ms. Kavanagh said that "maladministration" of the medical card system is "widely acknowledged".

Active Retirement Ireland has also questioned the costs associated with imposing the 1 per cent income levy on occupational pensions.

Active Retirement Ireland is a national network of local and community-based voluntary groups that represents 457 Active Retirement Associations throughout the State, with a total of almost 25,000 members.