Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

With regard to the mobility allowance, it is important to emphasise that this year we will spend ¤20 billion on social welfare, and we have spent ¤80 billion in real terms in the area over four years. When something is highlighted as requiring a review, it is important that it is done properly. This is as opposed to what happened a number of years ago, when the nursing homes issue was raised. The immediate response of the Government at the time was to rush through emergency legislation and try to make illegal nursing home charges retrospectively legal. That is not the way we are dealing with the matter.