Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The social dividend has arrived, the Deputy will be glad to know. Huge sacrifices were made by many people in this country for many years. It is good to see they were not in vain and there is at least some recompense at the end of the day, some recognition for the sacrifices they made and some preparation for the next phase of health provision for the next generation.

For the 8,700 individual families who will receive the medical card, it is a great boon for them and something they deserve. One has only to go through the various appeal processes for domiciliary care and for medical card applications, as we all have, to understand the degree to which a small thing can make a huge difference to people who are faced with the kind of difficulties they have to face in regard to special needs and the costs that go with that. We should pay tribute to the parents and families who had to undergo a long series of difficulties in recent years while waiting for this change.

I compliment the Minister of State for bringing the legislation before the House and for giving recognition to those people who have been in that situation for a number of years. Like Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, I have been around for a year or two years and, indeed, the other Opposition spokesman, Deputy Billy Kelleher, is in the same position also. It is very easy when one is in opposition, of course.

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