Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Deputy Ryan is correct. In the 2002 general election, Labour proposed to take money out of the National Pensions Reserve Fund to put into the health service. I remember when canvassing a woman on the doorsteps, she told me Labour was going to raid the pensions - little did she know what was going to come down the line. I tried to explain to her that it would lead to more public health care and free general practitioner care but she told me she wanted the money in her pocket. Possibly, after what has happened to the economy, people may be more open to the council’s proposals but there is still an inbuilt belief in Irish society that we would rather the money in our pockets than the services. It is a problem that we need to bear in mind.