Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

At present, the long-term illness system is based on illness while the medical card system is based on means. There are huge inconsistencies about which nothing was done historically and the Government now is moving towards a universal system. This is a time of transition and I accept it is extremely difficult to defend some of the things in the existing inadequate system, while at the same time the Government is trying to reform it. I sought the support of the Opposition and while the Government received some support from Sinn Féin with regard to the under-sixes, there was very little support from elsewhere and very few alternative proposals from Fianna Fáil on any of these matters, other than just attacking.

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