Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

There is a responsibility on the HSE and I do not know if it understands the word "responsibility". This morning in this House I sought an Adjournment debate regarding the NRA and I was told the Minister has no responsibility and cannot come in. I have sought Adjournment debates here regarding the HSE and I have been told the Minister, Deputy Harney, has no responsibility. The line Minister, in the case of the HSE or the NRA, is either responsible for the body concerned or not.

We speak of cutting costs. God bless Mr. McCarthy, but he does not seem to understand the concept of society, which should be people centred. Where I have a fundamental disagreement with the Minister, although I inherently believe she is an honourable, decent and caring person, is on the ideology she is pursuing which does not put the patient first, which does not put people first and which puts profit and reduction in expenditure before anything else. I ask the Senators opposite if they seriously believe this Bill is the correct way to go. How will we make assessments?

The Minister will be aware that every day of the week there is a reduction in the number of medical cards and in GP medical cards. She might shake her head but I can give her a file of people who have had their applications refused and who are not millionaires or rich people. I genuinely want to hear an answer to that because the reality is there are ever more people now being refused, not getting access to services and having to wait longer.

I do not want to see this country having a dependency on prescription drugs - far from it - but we need to look at the implementation of reference pricing and tackle the cost of generic drugs, which Fine Gael states will save ten times as much.

The Minister, despite her protestations to the Members opposite, states the Bill is the way to go, but it is not and no amount of statistics or spin can prove otherwise. I am disappointed we are here debating this Bill. Fine Gael will oppose this Bill and we will call a vote on Second Stage. The savings are at a cost, which is quality of life.