Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

A Minister who went through several stages of political metamorphosis and wound up in the Labour Party presided over that debacle.

Senator Browne objected to the word "maintenance" but that has been around since Adam was a boy. He asked us to go back to 1976. As Senator Feeney stated, this issue is not all about what happened since 2001. A coalition Government was in power from 1973 to 1977. Fianna Fáil took over until 1981. A mixed gathering of parties and Independents took up office in June 1981. That Government fell in February 1982 and Fianna Fáil returned to power, subsequently losing power in November 1982. Senator Browne's party was in Government from 1982 to 1987; then Fianna Fáil came back until 1992, and from that point until 1997 the Senator's party was in power. Several Governments have presided over this, and something should have been done about it. To the credit of the incumbent Minister for Health and Children she has attempted to do something about it.