Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

——that has whipped up this fear. The real fear is that the Government is still supposedly in charge. The Taoiseach further muddied the water in the House yesterday when he failed to give a clear answer to Deputy Kenny on the other free schemes. He told Deputy Kenny that anyone with a cursory knowledge of social welfare knows that it is the entitlement to pensions that provides the link. In the case of free travel, it is not the entitlement to a pension that provides the link. Rather, it is being over 66 years of age. It is a universal payment. People are right to wonder whether it will remain so.

The Government tells us that the scheme is not sustainable as structured. It is the Government's structure. I do not believe the figures of 5% because the Government is not capable of making the assessment. Some 15,000 people outside Leinster House today agreed.

Several people asked me today whether it was not only bad enough to lose a spouse without immediately losing one's medical card because one is suddenly over the limit and, consequently, fails the income test. The loss of someone's husband or wife will become a financial gain for the Government. The Minister of State did not clarify the issue when asked. This is the reality.

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