Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

They do not need a 9% price increase. The Minister could find the money for the debacle at the mad cow roundabout.

In the December 2003 budget, the Government introduced further charges and taxes. The drugs refund scheme threshold was raised by €8 to €78 per month, accident and emergency charges increased from €40 to €45 and there was a 15% increase in the cost of a private bed in a public hospital. The Government imposed a €5 increase in the cost of an overnight hospital stay, third level student registration fees increased by €80 and the fee for the junior and leaving certificates increased by €10. In addition, development levies increased by between €6,000 and €30,000, depending on which local authority was involved. This hit first-time house buyers in particular, from whom the Minister had taken the first-time house buyers' grant not long before.

The Government is hitting vulnerable ordinary people with major charges. The House should consider the increase in passport charges. The fee for a standard ten year passport increased by a third, from €57 to €75.