FF accused of ‘creating hysteria’ about medical cards

Catherine Noone (FG) accused Fianna Fail of "creating hysteria'' about medical cards.

“This is the same party with the same faces and voices who tried to take them away a few years ago,’’ she added. “It is hard to take all of this on a continual basis.’’

Darragh O’Brien (FF) said Government researchers were able to find six people in the country not affected by the budget.

“What is telling is there is no mention in any of the examples of the cuts to the household benefits package, restrictions to the loan parents allowance, the removal of the single-parent tax credit, a further reduction in medical card limits for those over 70 years of age and the removal of thousands of discretionary medical cards.’’

Mr O’Brien said the “cost of this work of fiction’’ should be released. He added that the debate on the Social Welfare Bill would be an honest one and he would be interested to hear people’s views. There were no easy options, but to talk about the budget being progressive was ironic.

Deirdre Clune (FG) said the Bill would be taken in the Dáil this week and in the Seanad next week. She added that Leader of the House Maurice Cummins (FG) had given a commitment it would not be guillotined. "It is a very important discussion and an important element of legislation,'' she added.

Jim D'Arcy (FG) said it was a topsy-turvey world indeed when Fianna Fáil was stating the health service was a time bomb given that Micheál Martin had created the HSE.

"I recall him asking Charlie McCreevy "Champagne Charlie" – for €1 billion for the health service but he was told to reform it,'' he added. "He never bothered and now the task falls to Dr James Reilly, who is working very hard to do so.''

He said that the replacement of the of the one-parent family credit with the single-person childcare credit from January 1st would have the unintended consequence of discriminating against separated fathers. This was because the designated principal carer was usually the mother and, while he had no problem with that, the measure did not recognise the increasing role played by fathers.