Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

It has no mandate for what it has rammed through the House over the past 12 months in particular - severe budget cuts, NAMA and a €22.5 billion deposit into a black hole called the Anglo Irish Bank. The list is endless and the record of this Government is shameless. What we want is not a proposal to recess until 29 September but this Government to face the fact that it has no mandate to continue in office. We want a decision on its part to go before the people not only in three by-elections, an Údarás election and a Dublin city election, although there is a question about that, but in a general election so the people can decide who they will trust to continue to govern the affairs of this State into the future. They do not trust this crowd here, Fianna Fáil and the Greens. The point was lost here. Deputy James Reilly made a very valid observation and it was lost in the melee of laughter. The fact of the matter is that legislation went through this House last evening, shoved through this House, the prescription charges Bill. Deputy Mary Harney, as Minister, sat there from the beginning to the end. There was not a single Fianna Fáil or Green Party Minister, Minister of State or backbencher present while that matter was being rammed across the 1.3 million people who depend on medical cards, at 50 cent per prescription item and €10 per month, but leaving the Minister and the Minister for Finance the opportunity to raise that at their behest and without any further reference to this House. There is no end of shameful decisions and failures on the part of this Government-----

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