Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Sometimes as legislators we get a backlash about nanny statism and being over the top. We do not know who they are, but it is probable that since the 1990s more than 1,000 people are still alive today who would otherwise have died if legislative steps had not been taken in the past ten or 15 years. It could be someone in this room. All of us need to keep this in mind. We hear about the problems which exist but we do not know the ones we prevent. This is along the lines of what has been said, and we need to keep it in mind when legislating. When we come up against opposition about being over the top, perhaps the very person making the complaint is someone who might not have been around had steps not been taken in the past.