Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

At the risk of my own colleagues wondering why I would put it this way, I will say it anyway because I believe it. There is fear across the community in society, not only in Ireland but internationally. Unfortunately, there is much basis and reason for fear. One should not create fallacious fear. The Senators here can read the Bill as well as anybody else can. We all are intelligent persons here. There is no point in Senator Ó Clochartaigh stating that those on the ground see it differently. If he will make points that are not true about the Bill, then they might see it differently.

Let me put it another way. There is plenty to criticise for the Opposition, for the Fianna Fáil Party and for the Sinn Féin Party, but they should not be criticising what is not there. They should stick to the criticisms that they can make because in a period of financial constraint and retrenchment, a Government does much that it would prefer not to have to do and is exposed to criticism in a democracy, and in Parliament. It is expected that such criticism would come from the Opposition and it is correct that it should but they should stick to the points that are factual. As I stated, there is plenty that they can find which is accurate and where there is a basis for criticism besides trying to find points that are not there.

It is not a question of me dressing something up. I am simply making the point, clearly and factually, that it is manifest in the Bill - this is not my interpretation or a general view - that persons who looses the full medical card will have a GP-only card and will have access to the drugs payment scheme, DPS. It means that the net loss, if I can put it that way, to somebody who is affected by this legislation would be ¤144 a month or approximately ¤36 euro a week because the system will pay for their drugs above that limit.

I would appeal to colleagues to stick to what is in the Bill rather than trying to create fears where none exist. Even though there may be a basis elsewhere for concern, there is no basis for concern on the part of Members in this House or others that persons will lose access to their GPs as a result of this legislation.