Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

If yesterday's proceedings in the other House are anything to go by, we are certainly in for an eventful day.

Everybody is keenly aware of the current economic climate. The first item on the news this morning was the Minister for Finance telling us that the first half of 2009 will be even bleaker than we imagined. Having listened to Senator Frances Fitzgerald this morning, the Opposition must enter the real world and be aware of the implications of the current economic climate.

There is no doubt that there was a great level of pain and confusion last October after the announcement was made on medical cards for those over 70. It is a real sign of how in touch this Government is with the older community that the Taoiseach, the Minister for Health and Children and the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, came out, put their hands up and apologised for getting it wrong before making amends. They came out a few days later and introduced a new package with much wider financial limits that would bring more people into the net, allowing them to keep their medical cards.

I stated last October and I will repeat that this is a good scheme. People on very high incomes should pay for their medical care. If they earn in excess of €100,000 they should be asked to pay for their own care. The State will look after more vulnerable people who are not able to pay for it. I look forward to the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, replying as I have no doubt that savings of €100 million are to be gained as a result of our actions this morning.

When we were debating the matter in October and November, the joint Opposition parties were great at shouting and roaring about the saving of €100 million and what was happening with the medical card. None of them, has mentioned the €700 million allocated in the budget to the wider health services.

There are currently 1.4 million people in the State entitled to a medical card. Of these, 355,000 are over 70 and, from that portion, 230,000 are not affected by this move. That leaves 125,000 who will be means-tested. Of that group, approximately 105,000 will fall into the category provided for under this Bill, leaving 20,000 people in the higher income bracket.

The goalposts have been moved by the combined Opposition parties. A few short years ago, Labour and Fine Gael were totally opposed to what the Government of the day was doing in extending the medical cards to those over 70. I only have to think of Deputy James Reilly when he was president of the IMO, who on 7 December 2000 stated that it was not acceptable for the Government to hand out free medical cards to people who can afford golf club fees. A month later, on 18 January 2001, he indicated that, in practice, retired civil servants, High Court judges, property tycoons, Ministers of State and hospital consultants would be eligible for medical cards while individuals and families on lower incomes suffering from chronic illness would be excluded. I do not know who he thought would be excluded.

This gives a little clearer insight into the deal he did then for his colleagues in the medical profession when his actions resulted in robbing the taxpayers and giving the high incomes that we have seen GPs get to look after the over 70s with medical cards.