Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

I welcome our former colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh. This is the first time I have been in the House in his presence. I am delighted to have an opportunity to contribute to the debate. Opposition parties over recent months have referred to the need to secure an economic and social future for our country and they said the budget should be designed to do that. In my lifetime, I have never known the Cabinet to sit for so many long hours to put the budget together. I have not known Ministers to work around the clock all weekend to do so. This reflects the bad economic state in which the country finds itself. Two weeks ago the House worked through the night to pass emergency legislation when the Government had to guarantee financial institutions to the tune of €400 billion.

This is a great budget and it is designed to secure the economic and social future of our country. I congratulate the Minister of State, the Minister for Finance and the Taoiseach. RTE's chief reporter stated on "Morning Ireland" earlier that the budget did not go far enough and it could have been much tougher but it is designed as part of a three-year programme and it will get tougher next year and the year after. He also said we are all in this together and everyone must take their share of the pain.

I refer to health issues. A number of Opposition Members stated they received 20 or 30 e-mails. I received two e-mails, one from a cancer research organisation complaining that the increase in the price of a packet of cigarettes was not sufficient and another from Age Action Ireland. On the Order of Business, Opposition Members said old people had been left in the lurch and they are in no man's land because they had cancelled their VHI policy when they received a free medical card. I went to the trouble of ringing the VHI to ask how many people left the organisation when they received the card. I was told there had been no noticeable decrease in the number of over 70s. In 2001 before the change was made, the VHI had 88,989 members aged over 70 whereas today the number stands at 120,776. The VHI will take back the customers who left in 2002 and they will not be asked to wait ten years if they have a complaint, as was pointed out on the Order of Business. They will be recognised as full members provided they pay the premia they missed. This is done in the interests of present customers, which is fair enough. The VHI also said they would ask them to become members before 1 January next. However, this involves only a small number of people.

A total of 80% of over 70s will still be covered by the medical card because those in receipt of the basic pension will retain their medical card going forward. Following the budget, 15% of over 70s will receive a cash grant of €400 annually per person. An additional €454 million will be invested in health services next year. Doctors are the biggest losers in the health area as their funding is reduced by €85 million and that is no bad thing.