Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Mr. Hennessy made reference to the last visit we made to Finglas. He will recall that I made the opening contribution. I knew I spoke on behalf of all of us when I made the point that we need a dedicated office team of whatever size. We, as Oireachtas Members, act as a buffer zone for people because community welfare officers no longer deal with the people. The HSE headed off into its lair in Finglas and even the sign on its door said "This is not a public office". As a result, Oireachtas Members became that cohort and it is not a comfortable place to be. I appreciate that somebody engaged with me on certain cases on the day but I do not have a continuum and further problems have arisen. That is a fact of life. I support my colleagues and made the point very strongly on the day that I believed that such a decision taken would be in the interest, not only of our roles, but of the entirety of the medical card processing system and would help Mr. Hennessy's team enormously. We are not at loggerheads and, therefore, should work together.