Victor Boyhan (Independent)

The Minister spoke about treating people fairly. A payment of €3,000 is not treating people fairly. I do not care about other schemes and keeping things equal between them. There have been many other unfair schemes. We are talking about this scheme and these particular issues. The Minister is saying, in effect, that €3,000 will have the same value in 20 years' time as it has today. She knows it is a cod and a joke and is not treating people fairly. She has accepted no amendments so far and it seems clear she will not accept any today. I can predict that now and it is not good enough.

The Seanad is a revising Chamber. It is not about Ministers coming here, reading from pieces of paper and telling us they will not accept anything. That is no good. We might as well close up here if that is what happens. The Minister's former leader, Leo Varadkar, came here and gave a very powerful speech about the Seanad in which he talked about its role as a revising Chamber and how we should examine legislation line by line and propose changes. Governments should be open to change. We are not all eejits in here and we are not all Whipped to do what the Government says every time. If that is what happens, we might as well close down this place.

I would not support the retention of an Upper House in a bicameral Parliament that was basically rubber-stamping everything. That is just nonsense. Ministers should come to this Chamber with an open mind. They should leave, having listened to Senators, and be able to make a case because they feel in their gut it is the right thing to do, not just come in here to play hardball because that is what they were told to do.I am listening and responding, and I think that €3,000 is, quite frankly, not enough.

I asked the Minister the very simple question whether she would be in favour of a review. She is telling me she is not even in favour of having a review of the €3,000, and is not even prepared to make a case to anybody that we could look at it next year. The Minister might have said she hears what I am saying, there is a case in terms of the value of €3,000 in ten years' time, that I have made a reasonable case and that it should be kept under review. The Minister is part of a Government so is part of a collective of people who speak to one another. Quite frankly, the sum is not enough.

I also did not suggest that the sum should increase from €3,000 to €6,000 or anything like that but suggested a review, which is a reasonable ask because people will look back and ask what is going on here. It is a reasonable ask. What will €3,000 get you in ten years' time? What will it get a person now? A person would be hard pressed to get supports for that. That is my response to what was said by the Minister. It is not fair or just that the Minister can give a once-off payment of €3,000 to a victim in respect of their medical needs overseas.