The Minister for Children has refused to be drawn on the number of people who will lose their medical cards under a new review of the scheme.
Yesterday, the Government announced it's examining the scheme in order to save 113 million euro.
666 million euro worth of health cuts was announced as part of Budget 2014 yesterday.
The government is likely to be pushed on the issue further when the budget deabte resumes in the Dail at 1030 this morning.
Already the first budget measures have taken effect from midnight last night with 10 cent going on cigarettes and the price of a pint. A bottle of wine hs gone up by 50 cent.
Minister Frances Fitzgerald says at the end of the process, anyone who should have a medical card will have one - but has refused to say how many will lose out:
