Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Instead of the graduated response for the others, as per the original proposal, we are now extending medical card eligibility, as I have stated, right up to those who have income of €700 per week for a single person or €1,400 for a couple. For those reasons, this is a comprehensive response by Government in the face of such concern to allay it, dispel it and deal with it.

With regard to the budget arithmetic, as I have stated during an earlier session of Leaders' Questions, the Fine Gael Party has a budgetary position that does not stand up to any scrutiny at all.

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