Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As always, I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, back to the House. It is good to see him. I know he is working very hard in the Department. The Bill is hardly one the Minister of State would regard as a great achievement. It is, clearly, one we cannot support.

In 2009, when the universality of the over-70s medical card went under the microscope, the Government of the day was rightly condemned in terms of the elderly people who were affected. Fine Gael Members will be aware of the words of their colleague, now Minister, Deputy Reilly, who at the time was rightly apoplectic with anger. It was probably mentioned in the other House as well that the people who were going to lose as a result of the legislation ? at the time more generous criteria were being introduced ? were those who made this country what it is today. He said they raised us, nursed us when we were sick, protected us from violence, grew our food and ran a proud Civil Service. In defending the current Government, people criticise me for having amnesia at times. I have no difficulty responding to them. The legislation shows there is an epidemic of amnesia in the Cabinet room.

The Minister of State highlighted the figures in terms of who will be affected. The spin doctors within the Labour Party headquarters or the Fine Gael headquarters should do a political benefit analysis and compare it with the income that will be generated. I accept that is a cynical approach but political parties at times do make such considerations. Let us say, for example, that ¤12 million will be saved. One could ask what we could have done, for example, if the proposal of the Labour Party, Fianna Fáil and other parties for a 3% increase in the universal social charge-----