Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There is no disagreement between us. I could not disagree with anything the Senator said. Bringing the HSE budget back into line in such a narrow space of time was the difficulty. I fully agree it is the small things people receive that maintain them in the community. I have been making those arguments. I hope I will be successful but there is never a guarantee when it comes to budget time, especially when one considers the country is broke.

We have certain obligations under the programme we are in and the big difficulty is the lack of flexibility and the position in which we find ourselves. It is about trying to bring the country back on track after horrendous events. Unfortunately, the people who need our help most sometimes suffer. I will make all those arguments.