Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, to the House. I am glad a Fianna Fáil Minister of State is presenting this legislation because, in essence, we have a Government dominated by Fianna Fáil. Generally speaking, the former Tánaiste and the current Minister takes the blame for all Government decisions relating to health services, but collective decisions are made at Cabinet level. We saw from the freedom of information request made some time after the budget that the medical card fiasco was brought to the attention of the Minister for Finance two or three days before his Budget Statement. Fianna Fáil, more than anybody else, is responsible for this legislation.

A few of my colleagues spoke about universality. It might be argued by some that universality is a difficult concept to put into practice but from an education perspective, at first, second and third level, universality has been implemented. What we have in education can also be applied to the health services if there is a willingness to make sufficient investment.

As the previous speaker, with others, noted, no decision caused such significant distress for such little financial windfall for the Government. Even as late as this week, the Minister for Health and Children, at the health committee, seemed unable to tell us exactly what savings can be made by the change in the law. It appears savings are very modest at a cost of great distress, concern and worry to a significant number of elderly people. For that reason, this decision must been reversed.

We all spoke through the years about the contribution made to this society by the elderly, with the Celtic tiger and the building up of Ireland during the much more barren previous years. Those people are now being penalised, which is very unfair.

The Minister must go back to the drawing board. We will debate health service entitlements much more over the next 12 months, but I hope the Minister is willing to reflect further on this legislation, even at this late stage, to stop this hidden attack on the elderly.