Michael McCarthy (Labour)

The Minister for Finance is Cheltenham Charlie, though I have half a dozen other names for him. I am sticking to the text of our Private Members' motion. If the Government Senators think that children's health is a flippant issue that deserves nothing but snide comments and smiles, perhaps that is reflection of Government thinking with regard to the medical card issue. The manner in which Government Senators are behaving is pathetic and disgusting.

The point I was making is that there has to be somebody in the Department of Health and Children, or one of the other Departments, who can persuade Cheltenham Charlie that extending medical cards to children, in the sense in which it was requested by people in these organisations prior to the budget, is a good investment in terms of children's health. The chief medical officer of the Department of Health and Children made that request of the Minister at that time, something that should and must be taken into account.