Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am in the hands of the Chair but I am very happy to deal with any issue I am asked about.

I understand entirely where Deputies are coming from and, if I could, I would do in the morning what they are seeking to achieve. However, I do not agree that a simple amendment to the legislation to facilitate, in Deputy Róisín Shortall's words, the Minister in introducing new groups, persons or categories in respect of eligibility would either be appropriate or legally sound. Why do I say this? I say it because it is now very clear, if it was not clear in the past, that these decisions on the allocation of resources are ultimately ones for the Oireachtas to make. One cannot give a current or future Minister plenipotentiary powers to determine who receives particular services and who does not. If the House sees fit to pass the legislation, we will set out clear principles and policies that are straightforward - resident in the country and being aged under six years. The Oireachtas will determine what will qualify a person for GP services. It is not appropriate and would be fundamentally flawed for us to purport to give a current or future Minister the powers to introduce additional eligibility criteria not passed by the Houses, even where, as the amendment puts it, it is done with the approval of the Oireachtas. Its approval is provided for through the legislation. That is how we make decisions here; we do not approve things. If we are giving eligibility to certain categories, as I would love to do because I agree with what the Deputies are seeking to achieve, it is not appropriate to outsource that power to a Minister because the Oireachtas must maintain the basic policies and principles-----

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