Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to revisit this issue. I was interested to hear the comments of speakers opposite, particularly the accusation of political opportunism. After the budget, I spoke with my father who represented Laois-Offaly for a long number of years. He referred me to a comment by a colleague from the benches opposite when the vote was originally taken in 2001 about how we were making the biggest mistake of our political lives and that we would pay dearly for it. We can now throw back that comment at our colleagues. This has been the least thought out and worst budget decision in recent memory.

I want to give the lie to the unofficial line peddled by Fianna Fáil Deputies and councillors, that this was a civil servants' budget and that it was not really a budget by politicians. People have been happy to peddle that line around the country to divert blame from themselves and their parliamentary and democratic responsibility in this House. I should not say I am glad if a civil servant leaked anything and I do not know who leaked this but I am glad that a statement appeared showing the memorandum that went to the Minister for Finance on this issue. This made it very clear that it was a decision that would not wash well politically. It took a civil servant to realise that the decision on the medical cards was not one the public would accept. It took a civil servant to see the political consequences of the decision. Two months after the budget, it amazes me that 15 men and women sat around a Cabinet table and not one realised the consequences this decision would have for ordinary people. Despite the 15,000 people who appeared on our streets, 1,000 for every Cabinet Minister, they still do not realise the pain they have caused.

Deputies opposite referred to the chaos and confusion. We did not cause that. Five separate eligibility criteria were published between the Department of Health and Children and the HSE on the medical card limits in the days after the budget. Every Government politician who spoke gave different figures. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Health and Children and the Minister for Finance had different and confused figures in respect of this. That is where the chaos and confusion arose as a result of this decision. It was made up as they went along. That is why we find ourselves dealing with this legislation today.

The Government thought it had chosen the easy option. If there is one positive element to this, it is that maybe the Government will realise that the elderly people of this country cannot be taken for granted. I am not convinced yet that the Government realises this. Nobody bought the platitudes from the Green Party on the day of the protest, that the party would never take old people for granted again. It was stomach churning to listen to it.

I dispute the figures provided today in respect of the figure of 5%. Deputy O'Connor referred to the meeting of the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs this morning, when the word "millionaires" was thrown across the floor. Members referred to millionaires and High Court judges, who they must think are very unpopular. This is being repeatedly referred to. I refer to a memo from a meeting I held with the Offaly branch of the Retired Teachers Association. These are primary school teachers and each one over 70 who I met will lose the medical card. I have yet to meet a teacher who is a millionaire. The Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, was a teacher and is better off now but is not a millionaire. Her colleagues over 70 will not have a medical card if they had any increment for an extra post of responsibility. The figures speak for themselves.

Retired teachers employed prior to 1995 are not eligible for dental or aural entitlements to which anyone else in the PRSI system is entitled. They have already been penalised in that. Everyone knows of the health deterioration that comes with the aging process. A real and genuine fear is that the expense will deter people from seeking medical care. They are caught every way in respect of the changes to this.

The notion of responsibility on the individual to declare is almost unworkable. From Deputy Shatter's figures, the idea of anyone reporting themselves rather than risking a €63 or €62 fine is depending on them to very honest. Aside from honesty, there will be chaos when the letters and forms arrive. I have yet to see a simple form from any Department. If they were so simple, Deputies would not spend time in clinics filling them in and helping people to fill them in. They are not simple. It will be interesting to see the simple version. Either the Department needs the information or it does not.

I refer to those who do not qualify, who will have their cards taken back by the Government and who can get a card with discretion if they are seriously ill. I do not trust the way the discretion will work. Sick people who should be trying to get better will spend their time instead contacting politicians and HSE officials in an attempt to retain their medical cards. The use of gross income for threshold is a mistake and it is extremely unfair.

I refer to the living alone issue raised by Deputy O'Sullivan. We had a lengthy discussion on this during the debate on the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill last week. A one-person household incurs 70% of the expenses of a two-person household. The criteria for the threshold will penalise those who lose a spouse because their medical card will be taken from them, which is wrong.

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