THE Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed wants the Minister for Health to explain publicly a new scheme under which long term unemployed people who start work can retain their medical cards.
Mr Noonan placed advertisements in national newspapers this week advising those who have been unemployed for at least one year that they may now retain their medical cards after taking jobs. People were advised to contact their local health board offices for further information.
The move follows January's Budget announcement by the Minister for Finance that long term unemployed people could retain their medical cards for three years after starting work.
But INOU general secretary Mr Mike Allen estimates that up to 3,000 people have had difficulty since the Budget because health boards either appeared unaware of the changes or had different methods of implementing them.
Mr Allen claimed the newspaper adverts were "sloppy" and ambiguous" in not detailing the position of long term unemployed people who started working between the Budget announcement and the newspaper notices.
These people have no idea if they can retain their medical cards, he said.
Mr Allen said the advert was ambiguous because it did not specify that the eligibility to retain a medical card lasts for three years only.
"The Minister for Health must issue a guarantee that all longterm unemployed people who have taken up employment since the Budget announcement are reissued with their cards. The sloppy manner in which this scheme has been dealt with to date undermines the Government's commitment to tackle unemployment", he said.
Mr Allen said the INOU was seeking "clear, definitive information, not more ambiguous information.