Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I am doing my best but there are rowdy people from Kerry beside me.

This issue should be debated. A Green Paper was published at the time and the people were given undertakings during various EU referenda campaigns about what was involved. However, when things happen that people were assured would not happen, a debacle such as that threatened in France can result. I refer to the disconnection of the EU project from the will of the people. If a referendum passed in this State under certain conditions by a majority of 0.1% of the population is to be overturned by a treaty in which divorce was never mentioned, we will be serious hostages to those who want to persuade us the EU project is essentially anti-democratic. It is up to Ireland to insist upon a resolution to this issue, which does not undermine the constitutional decision taken here.

People who lie on trolleys for three days in accident and emergency units are still charged €55 a day for the privilege. The very least the Government could do is waive that charge immediately for those who are left on trolleys. The notion that they should be charged as if they received full hospital services is about as insulting as it gets. I invite the Government to issue an instruction immediately to the HSE to exempt people on trolleys from this charge.