Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

The Supreme Court ruled that the 1987 regulations were ultra vires and that the Minister did not have the power to remove an entitlement to payment which is given in the primary legislation by way of secondary legislation. In addition, the court ruled that in making these regulations which took away entitlements to half-rate DB but left entitlement to half-rate UB intact, the Minister acted in an unreasonable manner. That is a point of view.