Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would agree with Deputy Colm Burke in the following sense. I am not a lawyer but I am long enough around to have an understanding of some of the basic entitlements that people have under any democracy. It is not so evident at the present time or in recent years but I have had some battles previously, including where legal decisions were made by people who were not in a position to make legal decisions at all, which affected the lives of people who were elderly or of limited resources. To my mind, these decisions were not in accordance with the way the legislation was intended, which was supposed to help people and get some kind of recompense from an institution of the State for the care and attention that was given. However, that has changed a bit, hopefully for the better.

There is a certain abruptness about the decision taken and the length of time the people who are affected by it have to deal with it, having already dealt with the trauma of the death of a family member. They may not have too long to deal with that trauma. Things happen quickly and then suddenly the Revenue Commissioners are empowered to collect. That is attended to in the Bill, although I am not certain of that. It is the abruptness with which the whole thing happens that frightens the people concerned. Whether they have been running a small business such as a little shop on the corner, a small farm or any kind of business, all these things come at a time when the family is vulnerable. That is the point that is raised by members and I would hope the Minister of State could reassure us on that.