Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

I do not give a hoot about what Senator Feeney thinks of my opportunities for being re-elected to Dáil Éireann. I am more concerned about the Government's betrayal of elderly people by taking from them the entitlement to a medical card, the way it tried to replace the medical card with vouchers, and the way it dismissed giving medical cards to children under the age of five. For someone who was a member of the Medical Council and also a member of the Joint Committee on Health and Children, she has a very poor grasp of what is happening in the wider community and the concerns we should be showing. That is the issue we should discuss in the House.

In case Senator O'Malley is wondering, we should stop the charade of continuing to plan for a 6% pay increase. She likes to ensure I put my views on record, as I did last Friday. I do not believe we should pay ourselves a 6% increase next year.