Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I am talking about an individual who has to have a car and is not eligible for a medical card so must pay the inflated school bus rates. She must pay for everything. It is a problem and should not be made light of.

As did my colleague, Deputy Naughten, I shall comment on the fair deal. We were told this would be a fair budget and we all appreciate that €4 billion in savings had to be achieved to meet the bank debts and all the rest of it. However, this is no more a fair budget than the fair deal was fair. The fair deal was to come in February two years ago. Eventually it was to come last October and a limited budget allowed for it. As Deputy Naughten and I understand it, it still has not been sorted out. It is time fairness was shown by the Government to those who are worst off. The carers and the elderly deserve better. Carers' hours have been cut back. A person who looks after drugs for young people in Monaghan found the job cut back the other day despite people saying there will be no cutbacks. I ask the Minister to reconsider the word "fairness" and ensure that it operates.

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