Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I oppose not only this section but each of the two subsequent sections. I am absolutely opposed to the legislation in its entirety. It is not amendable in any shape or form. It was a great disappointment to me because I was very happy to record my support for the provision of free GP care for all children aged five and under as announced in the recent budget. This was something I commended, and I indicated I was willing and happy to support it as long as it was part of a programme to introduce free GP care across the board and that we had a plan. I have not heard the plan, but the proposition entailed in the Bill undermines the credibility of the measure. Not only are we looking at a situation where €37 million has been provided with regard to the roll-out of free GP care to children aged under five, but €149 million in total is being taken out of the medical card budget. This is absolutely massive and the Bill relates to a significant part of this with regard to those aged over 70 whose income thresholds exceed €500 per week for a single person or a person living alone and €900 per week for a couple together. It beggars belief why this approach has been taken and has already demonstrated very serious consequences for ordinary decent people who had the reasonable expectation they would be able to continue to have the comfort and assurance of their medical card entitlement.

On its introduction we had universal over 70 entitlement. The previous Government wanted to restrict this and the Minister went ballistic when he was sitting beside me in the Opposition benches a very short period of time past. As a result of public demonstration, and great commendation to all of the older people who mobilised at the time, the former Government capitulated and introduced thresholds. Again, Deputy James Reilly showed, as I did, strong opposition to a particular cut off, wanting to see universal access as the cornerstone of our respective party policies as I would have understood it. Now he is in government the Minister, and the Minister of State as one of his support Deputies, has proposed not one but two further significant reductions in these thresholds, reducing them first to €600 and €1,200 from €700 and €1,400 respectively and now, in this particular instance, with regard to the budget for 2014, a further reduction of €100 for a single person and a reduction of €300 for a couple, in terms of entitlement, from €1,200 to €900, which no longer keeps the equilibrium with regard to the entitlement of a couple together being twice that of a single person. It is most disappointing and has caused huge disquiet.

There is no doubt people are battle weary. They have taken so much over recent years in a succession of austerity budgets. Do not take any comfort from the fact there has not been a replication of the huge demonstrations which presented a short number of years ago, and that in some way this is an indication of acceptance.

It is not. People are beaten down. While there has been significant mobilisation and protest on what the Bill seeks to do, that in no way reflects what I know to be the reality of thinking on the issue, not only among those directly affected, namely, those within the over-70s cohort of our respective communities, but people across the board of all ages. The Minister should make no mistake - I am within a decade of such an age myself, and we all aspire to reach those august ages - the measure has created great disquiet. It will impose significant hurt and pain on many people who are being hit by a variety of measures contained in budget 2014.

Older people and younger people have been specifically targeted by the measures contained in the recent budget. A Government Deputy I know and respect was very happy to boast to me that the centre ground had been left intact and that the Government had not hit too hard a particular body of people in terms of age and income. That is not entirely true but it is true that they have been less affected than those of senior years and young people who find it difficult to secure work in this country.

There is no meeting of minds or centre ground in this regard. That is why I chose not to offer any amendment. I am absolutely opposed to what is entailed. It runs totally contrary to the Minister of State's stated intent on the roll out of universal health care. It is a most regressive measure. This is not a proud moment for the Minister of State in political life nor for his colleagues in government. It will have a hugely injurious impact on the fortunes of both Fine Gael and the Labour Party in the upcoming county council and European parliamentary elections.