Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

As the Senator knows, having a Law Reform Commission report and the required legislation in place are two very different things. I am not in any way at odds with the Senator, nor is the Minister for Finance. In fact, we are favourably disposed to doing exactly what he wants to do. However, given that the report to Mr. Justice Quirke is due by the end of November, I hope we will be in a position, perhaps in the next finance Bill, to do what he wants to do. While sympathetic to what we want to achieve here, the Minister for Finance considers it would be premature to do it prior to the introduction of the legislation which would underpin periodic payments that would be made. With this work, there is also a need to ensure there is an appropriate cost of care index, all of which would have to be considered. We are agreeable. It is just that the timing is not right until we have the other structures in place.