Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)

The Government is trying to put a spin on this Bill. I heard a Minister describe it as a good news Bill but if we consider its background, we will soon find out from where the good news came.

The Minister for Health and Children, the two Ministers of State and a secretary of the Department discussed this subject in 2003. Somehow, however, the senior Minister neither heard nor knew what happened. It was obviously troubling the Department and the Minister; they knew they were sitting on a time bomb. After this, the Ombudsman wrote about the issue and the former chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts, Deputy Perry, raised it. It was then raised by the leader of Fine Gael, Deputy Kenny. That is what one could call whistleblowing. Had that not taken place, a Bill would not have been rushed through the House before Christmas and we would not be dealing with this Bill today. That explains the origin of the current mess.

Why are the most vulnerable people in society, people with nothing, asked to carry the can all the time? It would not happen to the higher level professions in this country. Invariably, it happened to people who had nobody to speak for them. A chain of events led to this Bill. It is fortunate that the President acted as she did and that the Supreme Court did what it had to do. Let nobody tell me the Government was the originator of this Bill; it was brought screaming to it.

I have much to say but, unfortunately, I do not have sufficient time. I believe the Government will be back before the Supreme Court before long, as Deputy Enright mentioned, on the question of eligibility for the medical card. There will be an uprising throughout the country. The Government has decided that a married couple are less likely to get a medical card than a couple who are cohabiting. There will be a remarkable reaction, and rightly so.

There is another important matter. The Supreme Court found that the people who were affected are entitled to compensation. I sincerely hope they get it. I hope they will not be pushed into the courts but that they will get it by right. The advertisements Deputy Dennehy saw in the newspaper are a matter of concern. However, at the end of the day, the Government is in office to govern. A serious mistake has been made and insult given to those at the bottom of the ladder in our society. I hope they will be treated with respect and dignity in the coming months.

The public listening to this debate will not take much notice of the comments of the Tánaiste, who stated:

I refer to future services for older people specifically. It has been the policy of successive Governments to endeavour to help older people maintain themselves in the community while at the same time providing for residential care which is not prohibitively expensive.

I do not have time to comment on the rest of her contribution. How does this statement square with the situation of an 80 year old man in north Galway who recently had circulation problems in his legs, suffered serious pain and was hospitalised for several weeks? The man and his wife, who is crippled with arthritis, have medical cards. He was told that an appliance, like a big shoe, which would put pressure on the veins to help the circulation of blood in his leg could be hired from a Dublin firm. The man must use this appliance at home for five hours each day. If it was not in his house, he would have to take up a bed in one of the hospitals in Galway. What did the Health Service Executive do? It slapped the man with a bill for €1,550 for a 90 day rental. When 90 days is up, he will have to pay another €1,550.

It was put to the former health board and the Health Service Executive that this man was helping by not taking up a hospital bed and that he has a better quality of life at home, where he should be, as the Tánaiste stated in the comment referred to above. Moreover, he would be less of a financial drag on the State. I hope the Tánaiste takes notice of this. There is no relationship between her statement referred to above and what is happening in the country. Unless she gets her act together, many will not believe a word the Government says on anything to do with health.

If we do not treat people, particularly the elderly, with dignity and respect, it will be a mark against society in general. There must be a major input by the Government. These elderly people worked hard, paid their dues and, as such, should be treated with respect and dignity, which many are not.

I highly commended Deputy Twomey for his courage in openly stating that the doctor-only medical cards were a means to an end, which was not opposition for opposition's sake. He never stated, and neither will I, that this development should finish at the first stage. We sincerely hope that whatever Government is in place in the next couple of years will try to change doctor-only cards to full medical cards to give people that to which they are entitled. However, despite the 30,000 extra cards which were to be issued this year, some 10,000 cards were taken out of the system last year, which reduces the number of extra cards to 20,000. If my figures are correct, the increase in wages means it is doubtful 20,000 extra cards will be granted despite the 7.5% increase in the eligibility threshold.

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