Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

We have had much debate over the last two or three weeks on single parents. I read an article in The Irish Times in which criticisms of one-parent families were made by a journalist who should have known better than to make the comments he did. I have also listened to the last two speakers. If we are serious about helping people to escape the poverty trap, we must make it easier for them to move from social welfare to the workplace. Most people find it difficult to come off social welfare because they are afraid of the unknown. Many on social welfare quickly lose their secondary benefits once they enter the workplace. We must look at this issue.

Medical cards should be protected for low earners, regardless of their circumstances, particularly if they have only come back into the workplace after many years of unemployment. There should at least be a five-year barrier. They should be allowed to retain their medical card if they have been unemployed for the previous three years and they should be able to hold on to the card for the next five years regardless of their income.

Previous speakers mentioned the over-70s, and we gave medical cards to millionaires and billionaires. A problem now exists with regard to nursing homes. We have created one of the greatest disasters since the foundation of the State. We started giving back money to elderly people but the problem is rolling on because people with loved ones in nursing homes——

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