David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Whatever about this Government being seen as a lame duck Government, there is no doubt that the Government's goose has been well and truly cooked by the electorate and that the Government is on borrowed time. Over recent months the State has lost the Garda Commissioner, the Minister for Justice and Equality, the Tánaiste and the Government parties have lost MEPs and council seats up and down the State. In my view the Government parties have been given a very clear message by the electorate who are sick and tired of the unfairness of many of the policy choices which have been made by this Government.

One of those policies relates to the provision of medical cards. It is not so long ago that Senators on this side of the House, including Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and some Independent Members, pointed to the cut in funding for medical card provision contained in the budget. Fine Gael and Labour Party Members voted for that cut. For Senator Mullins and others in the Fine Gael Party to seek now to place responsibility for the current fiasco on the shoulders of the management and staff of the medical card processing unit, who are, after all, overseeing Government policy, is absolutely outrageous and despicable. Colleagues opposite should take responsibility for their own actions. They and their party voted for these cuts and are therefore responsible for carers, people with disabilities and sick people losing their medical cards. They should man up and, instead of blaming staff, take responsibility themselves.

I am in agreement with Senator O'Donnell regarding all of the Government failures she listed. However, the Senator has a brass neck to claim to be independent given that she has stuck with Fine Gael through thick and thin in this House.