David Norris (Independent)

What we are doing today is shabby. It was an attempt to slip this provision in by sleight of hand and I am very unhappy. I have made the point and others could produce dozens of examples of the anomaly between the way in which a Minister is treated compared with an ordinary citizen. I thought this country was a republic but it is obvious we have an aristocracy which behaves as if it were in the days before the French Revolution.

I have never exchanged a cross word with the Minister involved. I have no problem with him but I have a terrible problem with slyness and greed. I heard him remark that when one discovers anomalies in the law, one rectifies them. We all know this is not the case and it is not true. When the time comes for the budget, submissions are made by groups representing the disabled, the blind, cystic fibrosis sufferers and so on. I refer to Susie Long, who died because she was sentenced to death for the crime of poverty, as I stated six months ago. This was an anomaly in the health service but we did not rush. It was not just a question of €75,000 here or there or a small sum of €35,000 which we did not notice until two years later; this was a question of life or death. It is not correct to say that we as legislators have shown anything like the same alacrity in ironing out the anomalies that arise when they affect ordinary people but when they affect one of our own, my God, there is a sudden rush of draftsmanship and the introduction of legislation.

This section should be withdrawn for further discussion and I ask the Minister of State to do so.