Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I ask the Taoiseach to take heed of the legislation being introduced north of the Border and on the neighbouring island. Hopefully, we will be able to mirror the expediency being applied there in that regard.

I welcome the Taoiseach's response yesterday with regard to the nurses and midwives Bill being imminent. This was the only Bill on the list of Bills under the Department of Health and Children listing on which he could give this response. However, I am concerned about the threatened prescription charges Bill. I note it is to be fast-tracked and published this session. This Bill should be withdrawn. The lesson should be learned that the imposition of up to €10 per month on medical card holders to access prescriptions is an unacceptable proposition. I encourage the Taoiseach to take heed instead of the repeated appeals of Deputies to bring forward the eligibility for health and personal social services Bill, which has been promised for many years but is down as "not possible to indicate a time for publication". It is unacceptable that there is movement forward to penalise the least well-off in society with regard to access to medicines and at the same time the Government is failing miserably year after year to address eligibility to health and personal social services. It is high time, as I said yesterday, the Taoiseach intervened directly with the Department of Health and Children in this regard.

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