Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

On the legislation to take medical cards from those aged over 70 years, will the Taoiseach be more specific about when it will be published and if it has been approved by Government? Will we have the normal arrangement, whereby there will be a two-week period between the taking of Second Stage and Committee Stage of the Bill?

In July 2007, ethics legislation passed all Stages in the Seanad. As the Taoiseach will recall, the relevant Bill was first announced on 10 October 2006 on the steps of Government Buildings by the then Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, and then Tánaiste, former Deputy Michael McDowell. This was done as part of an agreement for the continuation of the Government under which the legislation in question would be published and enacted. As I indicated, the Bill passed all Stages in the Seanad in July 2007 but has not been presented in this House. When will the legislation come before the House and what are the Government's intentions with regard to enacting it? When will the Taoiseach move the writ for the Dublin South by-election?

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