David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

On the question of allowing tax relief for medical students when they graduate, I consider this to be essential. I have been contacted by a constituent who, after getting a degree from Trinity College subsequently went to Cork and gained a medical degree. He now is a junior doctor who is crippled by trying to repay loans of €150,000 he took out to cover his seven-year medical course and is contemplating leaving this country. Something should be done about this. I wrote to the Ministers and received the usual holding reply but nothing has happened, although this is an area in which something could be done.

I urge the Minister of State to read the excellent budgetary submission made by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The society has prepared a detailed submission some of which is budget-neutral and does not cost anything. A proposal was made a couple of years ago about front-loading the fuel allowance that was never implemented but which should be considered. Calls for help to its regional offices have risen by 100% since 2009 and, to put a human face on matters, one woman described the impact of cuts to child benefit by noting that when she had her daughter last year, she was getting €140 per month but now was receiving €130. She acknowledged that while it did not sound like a lot, that €10 would have bought two packs of nappies, would have fed the family for the day or would have gone a long way towards their milk bill. Moreover, with €10 she could go to Dunnes Stores and fill up her freezer with frozen vegetables and chicken fillets, not with junk food. This is also something that must be examined.

In addition, the Government should remove the prescription charge of €2.50. I listened to a woman of 90 on the wireless this morning who had nine prescriptions per month. That is a lot of money and is very worrying for a person who is 90 year old. Moreover, were the Government to ensure that all landlords in receipt of rent supplement provided permission for the installation of electricity and natural gas pay-as-you-go prepayment meters, that would be budget-neutral.

If we could introduce it and ensure that landlords allow the installation of these pay-as-you-go meters, it would make it easier for people to heat their houses. On heating, average domestic electricity prices in Ireland are the fourth highest in the EU. That means Ireland is right up at the top of the league in an area in which people are extremely vulnerable. Meanwhile, simultaneously, the purchasing power of the fuel allowance has dropped between 20% to 55% depending on the source of the energy.

Was that a ding?