Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

Deputy McManus has no policies. She is drifting along on flotsam policies, like the proposal for free GP cards for everybody, even the rich.

Let us contrast the records on primary care and GP cards in particular. This year the Government has increased the income guidelines by 29%, the highest increase since 1974. What happened between 1993 and 1997? In 1993, there was an increase of £2, which is €2.54, in 1994 the increase was £1 or €1.27. When Democratic Left came into Government, the figure was £2, or €2.54 and in 1997, it was £1.50, or €1.91. In those five years, when the Labour Party was in Government, the increase was €10.80, which is 11%. Since 1997, it has increased by 64% and last year by 29%.

We have also changed the method of assessing people's entitlement to medical cards. We have moved to disposable income, where tax and PRSI are deducted from income, as are reasonable expenses on mortgage, child care, travel to work or rent. It is the single greatest innovation in 35 years, together with the introduction of the doctor-only card. I strongly believe in a tiered, graduated level of benefits, not an all-or-nothing system based on one means test.

Deputies McManus and Rabbitte have described the doctor-only card as a yellow pack card. Let us see what they had to say about it on a different occasion. This is what Deputy McManus had to say to Deputy Howlin, the then Minister for Health, on 31 March 1993: "If he had chosen to introduce a free GP service and let people pay for their drugs for the time being, it would have made some kind of sense". That is from the woman who is now pouring scorn and acid on my GP card, not because it is me——

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