Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)

I want the Minister to put this issue to bed.

Will he let us all, Government and Opposition Members alike, go back to our constituents and assure them there will be no financial hardship arising from these measures and that grants will be made available to those who need them? Will he also confirm that the standards to be applied will not be brought into question down the road? He is the only person who can give us the answers to these questions and put the matter to bed. It is nothing more than that to which we are entitled. People who set out from Galway at 5 a.m. to attend the debate in this Chamber are entitled to the truth, not simply to return home and tell their friends and family that the Minister spoke all day and said nothing.

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