Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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At dawn on Sunday, Israeli forces arrived at a primary school in Jubbet ad-Dhib, a village in the occupied West Bank. They proceeded to bulldoze the EU-funded school building to the ground. In the aftermath, we saw the heartbreaking image of children as young as six sifting through the rubble for their schoolbooks. The demolition of Palestinian schools is a terrifying feature of Israel’s brutal and illegal occupation. It represents a despicable violation of international law and of Palestinian human rights. The EU has rightly condemned the demolition. However, condemnation is not enough. We need action and Ireland must take the lead in confronting this injustice. What action has the Irish Government taken on this matter? What action will it take? Has it spoken to the Israeli ambassador? Has it spoken with European colleagues?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I reiterate the Government's and the European Union's condemnation of any form of collective punishment against the Palestinian people, including the demolition of homes, the demolition of public infrastructure such as schools or the targeting of hospitals. It is entirely unacceptable that any country, democratic or otherwise, should behave in such a way.

I have not had any engagement with the Israeli ambassador or with the Israeli Government in a very long time. However, I will make sure the Tánaiste knows the subject was raised in the Dáil. He usually handles those engagements. I do not know if this will be a matter for discussion at the European Council in June, but it may well be.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I do not know if the Taoiseach has ever read the classic text The Ragged Trousered Philanthropistsby the Irish author, Robert Tressell. We celebrated Tressell’s legacy in Liberty Hall at the weekend, with Mick Lynch, the leader of the British union, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, RMT, speaking at the event and reminding us of the money trick under capitalism. That money trick that Tressell described so well explains why supermarkets continue to keep food prices high and to maintain food prices in the face of falling inflation. The Taoiseach has said that his Government expects food prices to fall, but that is simply not good enough. It is not good enough simply to express a hope or an expectation. The Government must intervene. As my colleague, Deputy Nash has said, Fianna Fáil introduced maximum price order legislation previously. The reality is that now consumers, citizens and residents require State intervention to ensure prices will fall for basic necessities like foodstuffs in supermarkets. Will the Taoiseach do more than just expect prices to fall? Will he act now to introduce the necessary State interventions such as price controls to correct the imbalance?

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Nash and I had an exchange last night in the Chamber during Private Members’ business, during which I issued a very stark warning. Price caps have been introduced so far this year in the EU in both Croatia, which had food costs inflation of 20%, and in Hungary, which had food costs inflation of 50%. Let us be frank: these have not worked. They have actually had a damaging impact on the wider economy and crucially on society, including those in supermarkets.

It is a power that is open to the Government under the Consumer Protection Act 2007. However, as has been discussed quite a bit in all parts in the Chamber so far today, the priority is to engage openly and robustly with the retail sector this afternoon in a model similar to the one the French have taken. We look forward to that meeting and indeed to meeting the sector again in six weeks’ time.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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By 2030, 80% of Ireland’s electricity is to come from renewable sources. The Government has set a target of 7,000 MW of installed offshore wind generation by 2030. For comparison, we currently have 25 MW off Wicklow in the Arklow Bank Wind Park. That target is for a mere eight years so it is a very ambitious target. However, the industry has continually rung alarm bells, saying this target will not be met. The latest alarm bell to be rung is by the UCC business school, which today described Ireland as a laggard in this area. It is really hard to argue with that, considering that three years into this Government, it is only this week that the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment announced that he plans to bring in an industrial strategy to deal with wind energy. Is the Taoiseach worried about Ireland being a laggard in this area? Does he still believe that Ireland will meet its renewable energy targets and its wind generation targets?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I do think we will meet those targets. If we miss them, we will not miss them by much. I do not accept we are a laggard in this area. I take the view that we took the decision to prioritise onshore wind. It made sense. It was cheaper to do, easier to do and quicker to do. We prioritised that. Approximately 35% or 40% of our electricity comes from renewables now. That is not bad at all by international standards. That is almost all from onshore wind. We are really getting going on solar as well. There was a period a few weeks ago where 10% of all the electricity that was generated in Ireland came from solar. That would have been unthinkable not so long ago. The next big step is offshore wind, including interconnection, batteries, grid development and all those things that are required. I will be hosting a special meeting about that in the Department of the Taoiseach in a few weeks’ time. It will map out how we can achieve the vision of energy independence within a generation, which I think we will do.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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I want to ask the Taoiseach about the review of the housing adaptation grants for older people and people with a disability. A report on that review has been sitting on the desk of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage at least for a number of months. It looks at areas such as income thresholds, grant limits, decision-making processes, etc. It is an urgent issue. One key issue is that the income threshold is €60,000 gross for the entire family. If they go over the €60,000 limit, they cannot access this grant.

Many families, and I am dealing with one, are marginally over the €60,000 threshold so they do not qualify. They are paying mortgages. They are paying massive grocery bills, which we have just discussed. They do not qualify for the grant, but they also cannot afford to do the necessary work for their loved one to be able to live in appropriate circumstances with them. I ask the Taoiseach or the Minister for an update in relation to this and whether the threshold will be increased.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I just received the proposal and the review that was carried out by the officials in the Department. I am considering it very carefully, along with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. We intend to make a decision on that pretty quickly. As the Deputy will appreciate, it is something we are giving huge priority to. The housing adaptation grants for 2023 have just been announced. It is something that we are giving very careful consideration to.

Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent)
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School placement limits and enrolment criteria have changed in recent years. While this creates discomfort for many parents who, because of lack of choice, have to enrol their child in a school miles away from their home, this is being exacerbated by the fact that the applications for first-time users of the school transport scheme closed over a week ago, on the last Friday of April. Some families are still waiting to hear back from the Department of Education or Tusla regarding their child’s school placement.

If a parent does not know which school their child is going to go to or to be allocated a place in, how can they apply for a specific bus pass? The Government needs to get ahead of these issues, because we know what happened last September. Some students in rural areas of my constituency in the Louth and east Meath area were not given bus passes and, as a result, they were left stranded. The fact is that a lack of appropriate school places and rising demand resulted in a huge number of schools having substantial waiting lists and more than 800 children had to avail of home tuition last year. Additionally, a lack of appropriate planning regarding school transport led to a surge in demand exceeding administrative and bus seat capacity.

One issue is causing another issue. I recently met a young mother who highlighted the issue of school placement and how it has significantly impacted on her son’s mental health. On top of this, her stress levels are increasing because she has now missed the school bus deadline, works full time and has to find a way to get her son to a school potentially miles away.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I am not sure whether the Deputy's contribution related to children with additional needs or to mainstream education for children going to school, but there should be sufficient and appropriate placements for all children attending school and transport should also be available to them. If the Deputy would like to give me the specific circumstances, I can speak to the Minister for Education about it. There are 12 school planning areas in the country and there is a lot of forward planning to make sure schools are available in each county with sufficient placements.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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Children with disabilities in south Tipperary and across the country are suffering greatly, especially children with special and complex needs. I have a lot of examples of children who were receiving therapies from primary care teams and have been discharged from that primary care team because they are deemed to have more complex needs that are more appropriate to the children's disability network teams, CDNTs, but the CDNTs do not have the appropriate therapists and the child is left with no place to go. Where a child in this situation has been waiting for longer than three months, the State, whether through the National Treatment Purchase Fund or whatever, should fund that child with those complex needs to get private treatment. If their needs are deemed too complex to be dealt with by primary care, they are sent on to the CDNT but, because of a lack of staff including therapists, they are languishing on waiting lists. These are the most vulnerable and precious children with complex needs. It needs to be dealt with.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy said, a lot of progress has been made on primary care teams and typically children who have needs, be they mild, moderate or complex, are getting access to the primary care teams earlier. We have allocated funding this year through the waiting list action plan to bring in private providers. My view is that we should use every scintilla of healthcare provision available, whether publicly or privately, to tackle the waiting lists and get children the care they need as quickly as possible. In many of the specialties required in disability services where, as the Deputy said, the services are more complex, very little private provision is available. In some cases, however, it is available and the HSE is clear, both for primary care through me and for the disability services through the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, that funding is available to access private care when it is available.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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Youth services are a lifeline for many communities in Donegal. In many towns and villages throughout the county, the only facility available to locals is the local parish hall. The Taoiseach can imagine how important this hall is, not least to young people. Youth clubs are often the sole places for socialisation outside of school and provide an important and safe space for young people to develop and come together with their peers. They give young people a sense of belonging and pride in their community. Unfortunately, since Covid, youth services in Donegal have experienced many difficulties. Having spoken to youth club leaders, I know two of the main issues are ensuring there are a sufficient number of volunteers to run the service and providing transport for young people to reach the service when it is running.

We need to address these issues immediately. Our youth services are far too important and we cannot afford to lose them. One of the suggestions put forward was to encourage Ukrainian refugees in the community with an interest in youth work and community development to consider volunteering, but that will not solve the entire problem. What will the Taoiseach do to ensure the youth services in Donegal are able to keep providing those services?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising a very important issue. The experiences he is having with youth services in Donegal are similar to what we are experiencing in west Dublin. It has been quite difficult to get them back up and running post Covid for lots of different reasons and the absence of volunteers is part of that. I do not want to give the Deputy an answer on the fly because I do not know enough about the detail of services in Donegal, but I appreciate that he has raised it and I might ask the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to come back to him directly.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the mayor of Ennis, Clare Colleran Molloy; Councillors Paul Murphy and Mary Howard; Carmel Kirby and all the Ennis 2040 team; and especially the students who have come here today from Coláiste Muire and St. Flannan’s College in Ennis to spell out their vision for Ennis 2040. It is a sad irony that, on a day when so many young people from Ennis have come to Dublin, a 44-year-old woman, the same age as the Taoiseach - still a young age - named Jennifer Hynes is languishing and wallowing in Mowlam nursing home in Ennis. She has been there since 2019. She is a fish out of water, to use her own words. She is a very smart woman. A few years ago, she came second in an international writing festival for people with disabilities. A nursing home is the wrong environment for her. She dreams of a future where she has her own house and personal assistance hours that allow her to live a fulfilled life in an age-appropriate environment.

This is in the programme for Government. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has been immensely engaging and very supportive, but I want to spotlight Jennifer Hynes’s case. She is watching today from her bed in Mowlam nursing home and I hope the Government can give her some hope there is a bright future for her.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and join him in welcoming Councillors Paul Murphy and Clare Colleran Molloy, who are here. Quite a lot of younger people, under 65, are in nursing homes around the State. It really is not an acceptable scenario. We need to find and develop solutions so that more and more can live in the community or go back to their own homes. That is happening, but not enough. It is pertinent that the Deputy should raise it today. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is doing the best she can to develop solutions for people in that scenario.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I first raised this issue in February of last year. Many of my constituents whose principal private residence is a mobile home are living in the ice age as regards heating them. They cannot afford to heat them, the homes have poor insulation, and many of these residents are in poor health or have disabilities and a number of them have fallen on hard times. They cannot benefit from the excellent Government scheme because they do not have their own individual electricity meter; the energy is supplied by the park owner. They cannot benefit from the exceptional needs payment because they cannot engage with an energy supplier, which is mandatory to get that benefit.

I have raised this with the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, who has direct responsibility for it. I have raised it with the Central Statistics Office and the Minister’s Department. I am fed up, and these people are fed up with coming to me and not getting action. I urge the Taoiseach to ensure the Minister, Deputy Ryan, delivers on this. It is the Government's wish that these people would not be living in the ice age and could heat their mobile homes.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for reminding me of this issue. I am frustrated about it as well. For people whose mobile home is their home, it is their permanent home. It is where they are registered to vote and are registered for everything else. They have lost out on €600 in the form of an energy credit. I had hoped an exceptional needs payment might be the simple solution to it, because that would not require legislation, but I will follow up on it again. I acknowledge the injustice here and am keen to find a solution, which we will do.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Last night, there was a huge public meeting in Tyrone of a grassroots campaign, Enough is Enough, led by Tyrone GAA and the families of people who have lost their lives on the A5. As the Taoiseach knows, the project has been bedevilled by legal objections, but now there is huge momentum to make this happen. The then Government had committed to equally co-funding the road. When the Taoiseach was Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, he withdrew that offer of €400 million. Will he now recommit, on behalf of the Government, to co-funding equally this project, which we all hope will start very soon?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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First, the Government very much supports the A5-N2 project. It is important not just for connecting Derry and Letterkenny to other parts of Ireland but also for road safety, and I am aware of the number of people who have lost their lives on that road. If I remember correctly, the commitment that was made by the then Government was for £400 million. We had to come to an agreement with the Northern Ireland Executive at the time to reduce that contribution at a time when we were very strapped for cash here. Thankfully, not least in part to ten or 11 years of good economic management by successive Governments, we are now in a much better position financially, and certainly we would be happy to talk to the new executive, when it is up and running, about making a greater contribution.

I think we should because we want to help our citizens in Northern Ireland and people in Northern Ireland generally but it is also important for Donegal.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Next Wednesday marks the 49th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings when 33 innocent people were murdered and hundreds badly injured. That day, 17 May 1974, was the darkest day of all during the era known as the Troubles when unfortunately, there were many bad days on this island with so much loss of life and suffering. Very regrettably nobody has been brought to justice for those heinous crimes. In 2008, 2011 and 2016 this House unanimously passed motions calling on the British Government to give an independent eminent international legal expert access to all papers and files pertaining to the Monaghan and Dublin bombings. The non-response of the British Government to the legitimate and unanimous requests of a neighbouring sovereign jurisdiction is simply unacceptable. We all know the possibility of getting prosecutions is extremely limited but the least the families deserve is the truth about who carried out those atrocities. Will the Taoiseach assure me that this very important issue will be raised with the British Prime Minister and other British Government members in all in meetings and in all relevant forums? Legacy issues must be dealt with and no amnesty should ever be provided for perpetrators of despicable crimes as proposed by the British Government through its recent legislation.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I think 17 May 1974 was one of the darkest days in the history of the Troubles when a terrible atrocity was visited here in Dublin and on the people of Monaghan. In my meeting with the British Prime Minister, Mr. Sunak, about two weeks ago in Belfast, I raised the issue of legacy and our opposition to the British Government's proposals in that regard. I met him briefly over the weekend but did not have the chance to talk to him in depth but I will certainly continue to press the case against the legacy Bill. The next time we have a chance to meet, I will specifically raise the issue of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein)
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The GAA is a wonderful organisation. However, it seems to be drifting to a new corporate, profit-driven model in what is an amateur sport. Recently we have seen moves to a cashless ticketing system, moves to prevent clubs from displaying charity logos on their club jerseys and now we have the subscription model of viewing games. This all feeds into a view among many that the GAA is becoming gentrified, keeping the big classic hurling and football games behind a paywall. Government really cannot discuss this serious issue as if it was a spectator at one of the matches. Will we see any real action from Government to encourage the GAA to remove the paywall from big GAA matches?

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Obviously, all sports fans would like to see more games free to air, particularly if their own counties are involved. As the Taoiseach has already stated this week, it would not be practical to broadcast all the games. Much of that is due to the restructuring in the past couple of years with the length of the season being shortened, which is bound to lead to fixture congestion. Ultimately, other than those events that are designated for broadcast free to air, the question of how sporting events are broadcast is primarily a matter of the sports body concerned and its broadcasting partner.

There is a separate process on the free to air. A review on that commenced last year and responses to initial public consultation have been analysed. Given the impact of the Covid pandemic, it was paused for a year to allow the sporting organisations to recover. I am currently examining the matter and expect to progress to the next phase of the review of designating more events free to air in the near future.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I have previously raised the issue of the vital emergency department at Mayo University Hospital. Yesterday, more than 24 people were left on trolleys at the department and the hospital was forced to issue a statement noting that in excess of 170 patients attended department last Monday, which is 30% higher than average, leading to extremely lengthy waiting times. Staff are working in very difficult circumstances to try to care for people who are critically ill or injured. This is a project that has been promised to the people of Mayo for the past ten years. Why can the Minister for Health and the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform not expedite this project like others done during the Covid emergency? These are exceptional circumstances with serious safety concerns. Can all agencies not work together so that this project can be fast-tracked and delivered to those who deserve it most?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I think we can expedite this project and I think we should. I have not had an update on it in several weeks but I will get one and pass it on to the Deputy. I will be meeting the new CEO of the HSE. I certainly want to see us expediting capital projects in hospitals across the country, not just in Castlebar. I know this is an important one. Notwithstanding the extra 1,000 beds that have been added to hospitals in the past three years and 20,000 more staff, demand has increased considerably. Even for this time of year in May, there is an unusually high number of patients on trolleys. As the Deputy pointed out, attendances are 15% to 30% higher than would have been the case in May 2019. It is very hard to understand what is driving this and it seriously concerns me.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I want to raise the very important issue of our excellent home care support assistants, HCSAs, not least in County Kerry where they do great work taking care of people in their own homes. At the moment, a new system is being set up online to book holidays, do the travel allowance, the wages and all of that. Unfortunately, as the Taoiseach knows, not everybody is 100% up to speed and on iPads, apps and all of that. There seems to be a problem. I previously raised in the House an issue with mileage for the HCSAs and it is causing a big problem at present. Will the Taoiseach make sure that the HSE ensures nobody gets left behind and people are given the support and assistance they need? At the end of the day all they want is their fair wages and their fair mileage to be paid for them in a timely manner. We should assist them because they assist all of our people in their homes.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for the question. He is quite right in saying that the provision of home care for people living at home is very important. Today as we stand here, approximately 56,500 people will receive the support of a home care worker. Without these workers they could not age well at home, so they are very important. I might chat to the Deputy offline because I am not sure whether this is specific to community healthcare organisation, CHO, 4, whether it relates to the HSE only or whether it relates also to private home care providers. The Deputy is quite right; we do not want anyone to be left behind. We are very dependent on these healthcare workers who do a phenomenal job every day of the week, so I will speak to the Deputy later.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I return to the issue of the A5 road. As the Taoiseach will know, regrettably recently there was another tragedy on that road in County Tyrone. The A5 along with the N2 in this State is the most dangerous road in Ireland. In recognition of this, the need for improved transport links to the north west and, as the Taoiseach has acknowledged, the all-Ireland economic opportunities generated by this road when it is developed, will he give an absolute assurance that the Government will adhere to its previous commitment to co-finance the A5 road? Will he also ensure that the proposed sections of the linking N2 road, especially in County Monaghan, receive the funding they need to proceed to the next stages this year?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I am happy to reiterate and stand over the financial commitment we have made to co-fund the A5 once it gets through its various planning issues. We will be happy to engage with the British Government and Northern Ireland Executive about an additional contribution because the cost has gone up a lot because of the delays. Of course, it would make no sense to build the A5 and not build the tie-ins to the N2 and the tie-ins in Donegal. I think funding has been provided for some of that - certainly from Clontibret to the Border. I am not sure about the other side, but I will check with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, on that. Suffice it to say, it would make no sense to build the A5 and not link it properly to Letterkenny and to the M1.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Numerous sports fans have raised with me, and I am sure have raised it with other Members, the issue of the digital lockout they are experiencing with GAAGO, where they are unable to watch key games due to not being able to set it up and due to poor broadband and so many other issues. RTÉ and the GAA have provided great coverage of our national sports over many years but they do not seem to be using all the available capacity and TV channels. They seem to be opting to put some of the key games behind an online paywall to build that channel. GAA supporters have already been hit by obstacles with cashless gates, and they have dealt with that. Now they have found another digital obstacle with the GAAGO. It is not just about fans and their own counties. It also affects neutrals who want to watch other games as well. How the joint venture was constructed is also being questioned, along with why other channels were not able to participate or be part of the plan. Will the GAA and RTÉ be invited into the committee to answer questions on it? At this stage, what can be done to ensure the games will be available to view?

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The management of commercial broadcasting rights is a matter for each sports body. Second to that, the designation of major events, including sports events, is a statutory function. As I said earlier to the previous speaker, that is under review currently.

I believe it was reported today that the GAA did have discussions with other broadcasters. Ultimately, the commercial decision is for the GAA to make. Another important factor is the change to the GAA championship structure this year, with more matches within a compacted season. I believe the committee has invited GAAGO and RTÉ in before the committee, and this will take place.

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge the Taoiseach's ongoing commitment to the A5 and to the link to Letterkenny. A business case will be presented for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, for the twin towns bypass and the Letterkenny-Lifford link shortly. Whatever needs to be done financially, administratively and politically, will be done in the next while and I look forward to that.

With regard to the defective concrete blocks legislation, when will the scheme be ready? When will it be completed and when will the regulations be complete? I will also emphasise the point publicly again today about the transfer of eligibility, particularly for pensioners who are not in a position to draw down another mortgage or get finance. There should be a clause of transfer of eligibility. The second point is around penalty-free downsizing, which should be voluntary. This is an important element, environmentally and financially. Penalty-free downsizing is an important issue that should be part of the new scheme. It would make the scheme that much stronger.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy McHugh for raising this important issue. We are very keen to have the regulations done in the next couple of weeks. I spoke with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, about this recently and he will engage directly with Deputy McHugh on it. Certainly, by this time next year I want to be in a position where we are seeing hundreds of homes in Donegal being repaired or being demolished and rebuilt. We are keen to get the scheme up and running as soon as possible. I do not want to go into any of the details about that right now but I am aware that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will speak to the Deputy, and I will speak to him directly as well.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Gino Kenny has 30 seconds.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I am out of breath.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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That is the Deputy's 30 seconds.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It is an important question. Hold on and I will catch my breath.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy has another 30 seconds.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It is a very quick question for the Taoiseach on the medical card review. I am aware there was a report in 2014 around the expert panel and medical card eligibility. Will the review take place soon on the system of discretionary medical cards and the remit for those who have a terminal illness or who have cancer? People who do not have a terminal illness are finding it very difficult to get a medical card in the context of costs and so on.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I will check with the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and come back to Deputy Kenny directly. It is my understanding that people who have a terminal illness can now qualify for a discretionary medical card, but there is an understandable reluctance to prescribe certain illnesses that qualify for a medical card and others that do not. This is for lots of reasons that are explained in the report, including that it would potentially be very unfair. Certainly, one aspect we must examine at budget time is increasing the income thresholds. These have not gone up since, I believe, 2005, which is a very long time ago. It would be expensive to do but it would be the right thing to do. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to come back to the Deputy directly.