Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

The ESB is not allowed to reduce its prices because these are being kept artificially high by the regulator in order to encourage market entrants. That is also what has happened in the telecoms sector. We have a regulatory system of a cost and structure that would be suitable for the United States of America, but is totally inappropriate for a small country like Ireland, with a relatively small market and population. What will the Minister do about the person who, having been asked to take a wage cut and taken such a cut, will continue to be asked for €60 when he or she takes his or her child to the doctor with a flu because he or she does not have a medical card? No reduction in fees will apply to people who have to purchase essential services like health services. On the contrary, they have gone up and they have never come down.

See this speech in context