Frank Fahey (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

I heard this man last night talking about the 70 year old man on a trolley and whether he should declare he has a medical card. Considerable criticism, much of it fair, has been made by the over 70s about the confusion surrounding this scheme. I put it back to Deputy Reilly and Fine Gael. What about the 65 year old man slightly over the present medical card limit who is ill in hospital and cannot get a medical card? Fine Gael is suggesting we should keep the rules for him but we should give the medical card to the man who now will have, perhaps, €150,000 in income.

I heard Deputy Rabbitte talking about those very wealthy people. He said they did their patriotic duties by the State. A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I have great admiration for your party colleague in my constituency, Deputy Michael D. Higgins. I am often tempted to give him a higher preference than I should, as he was my old teacher aside from other things.

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