John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

No, absolutely. I make the point that in 2002 it was a very brave decision by a Government that was clearly in different economic times. It was not an election or political stunt. It was an attempt to continue the support of the elderly over the years. I will not go into all the figures that were before the Dáil this evening in respect of income levels and limits and the means test nor will I go into the funding set aside over the past five years for the care and support of the elderly. There was the entire issue of increased subvention for the elderly in nursing homes and, more important, the recent reform bill by way of the subvention. The suggestion that the Government turned its back consistently on the elderly does not stand up to scrutiny. The very fact that these schemes and those supports——-

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