Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I endorse the comments of other Members on the motion regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state. I understand there will be a unanimous decision on this by the House, which I welcome. There needs to be a debate on the issue. We need to develop a strategy because for too long Israel has obstructed any final settlement on this issue. It is most unfair to the Palestinian people who also suffer at the hands of other Islamic states, which is an astonishing situation.

I am not sure whether there should be one combined debate or two separate debates on pensions and health insurance. I will let the Leader decide. I am concerned about people who try to do things for themselves, work hard to support their children and educate and provide for their families. Such middle class people drive the economy and are being hit on all sides. I am glad that the theft from their pension pots has ceased. It should never have happened. There is an issue regarding pensions. A majority of hardworking people do not have pensions and will rely on the State pension. The State will find it increasingly difficult to meet the demands made of it in the decades ahead. We need a debate on such people.

I refer to health insurance. A significant number of people have had to cancel health insurance policies because of their cost. It is entirely unacceptable that many costs, including the health levy imposed on the health insurance industry and charges of €700 or €800 per night for public beds, are being levied. One could get rooms in the best hotels in town for half of those prices. We need to focus on these issues. It is the essence of republicanism that we help people to help themselves, and when they do we should not penalise and make life impossible for them. A debate on these matters would be a valuable contribution to the evolution of policy in this area.