Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I would have wished an opportunity to respond to the debate but I will respond to the question. As a preliminary response I point out that in a developed country such as ours there is no group in society that does better than professionals. I remember making this point four years ago during discussion of the legislation to establish the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. The same criticisms were given, except that we were not dealing with patients but with clients. I was being told that thousands of solicitors would go out of business, particularly in rural areas. However, we know what happened. Equally, the consequences being predicted here, which were predicted in 2002 when the former Minister, Deputy Martin, changed the regulations, and in 2005 when we published the legislation, will not come to pass. Professionals will do well in a country such as ours where we are spending so much money.

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