Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

I welcome this Bill. I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House. The precise purpose of the Bill is to avoid the sort of problems which have brought people on to the streets in France, Germany and Austria.

I am particularly proud of the pension provisions that have been made by this Government, its immediate predecessor, and the party in Government to which I belong. In the early 1980s and the late 1990s the Government gave priority to the pension issue. There was no particular priority given to pensions during the rainbow coalition period. The Government also prioritised the free schemes such as the medical card at the age of 75. We are building and improving provisions.