Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gan dabht, tá cuid mhaith cainte agus clúdach dhá dhéanamh faoin dhá dhíospóireacht móra atá ar siúl sna Tithe seo i láthair na huaire, ach sílim go bhfuil an pobal ag déanamh níos mó imní faoin chás eacnamaíochta atá againn.

The commitment last year of the Eurogroup to break the connection between banking and sovereign debt was considered by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, to be "a seismic shift" and by to the Tánaiste to be "a game changer". I would like to know what game has changed in the interim. Most people outside this House do not believe the game has changed that much. I am concerned about the statement made yesterday by the chairperson of the Eurogroup, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, that he does not believe there will be any retrospective ESM action to reimburse Irish citizens for the moneys they had to pump into the banks.

With respect to my colleagues in this and the other House, the economic woes of this country are more pressing to the citizens of this country than are the current debates taking place in the Houses and they are not getting as much coverage as they should. Connected to this is the statement attributed to the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, that cancer patients deemed not terminal will no longer be guaranteed a medical card. That this is even being contemplated is the result of the economic situation in which we find ourselves in terms of having to pay off the debts of bankers and developers. That the Government is contemplating such a cut is appalling. I wish to propose an amendment to the Order of Business. This type of statement is distressing for cancer patients and should be immediately refuted and put to bed.