John Minihan (Progressive Democrats)

I would welcome a debate on nursing home charges for one reason, namely, to clarify the position and to rebut some of the wild allegations made by the Opposition this morning and in recent days. Compensation should be paid to people who are entitled to it. There is no question about that, as the Government has acknowledged.

However, the State should equally defend cases seeking additional damages. Fine Gael is supporting a compensation culture. To lead its attack in this regard, it is putting forward a person who has a vested interest in this area, namely, a solicitor and Fine Gael councillor who placed advertisements in newspapers within 24 hours seeking cases and who has filed 70 cases in the High Court seeking up to €6 billion. I make no apology for defending the Tánaiste——