Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

There have been a number of comments regarding the implications for the economy in general and employment in particular of the situation involving Irish Ferries. I support these calls for a debate but I ask for the debate to be broadened into the areas of industrial relations and partnership. While the Irish Ferries situation represents one extreme, the other side of that coin is the announcement yesterday that IMPACT would now join the medical unions in obstructing the introduction of a socially aware initiative by the Government, which is the introduction of 200,000 medical cards.