Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The other point I would make is slightly different. At one stage, medical card applications were done by the local community welfare officer and then, unfortunately, they were centralised and, therefore, people either get it or they do not get it. When dealing with the community welfare officers, they understood and knew the families concerned, and would always make that exception, if they could. Those are the good things. I do not know if other people feel that way about it, but that is my knowledge. I am a Fine Gael Deputy, so forgive me for taking my colleagues’ time, which I rarely do.

There is another point that will arise in the future.

Have our guests carried out an assessment of the different demands there might be on the two economies, North and South, if there were to be an equalisation? Is that their area?