Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join colleagues in congratulating all those who put their on the ballot paper over the weekend and to commiserate with very many fine councillors who have lost their seats.

I pay tribute to the outstanding work they have done in their communities. I hope that many of them will return to public life. I congratulate our four colleagues in the Seanad who contested the European elections, namely, Senators Clune, Byrne, Higgins and Mullen. All of them performed admirably. It was a worrying development to hear Senator Higgins speak on radio this morning about the awful personal abuse she received on social media during the course of her campaign. This is a matter we need to discuss in future.

I join my colleagues in thanking the Tánaiste for his outstanding contribution to rebuilding our country and restoring our reputation abroad. I have known the Tánaiste since our secondary school days in Garbally College in Ballinasloe. He is a man of great integrity and ability, and he put the country first. Every person in this country owes him a debt of gratitude. History will be kind to him.

I join the calls for a debate on the medical card situation. Now that the people have spoken, they have given a wake-up call to the Government. The people are impatient with the pace of recovery and, while they recognise that the country was in an appalling state when this Government took over, we need to redouble our efforts to grow the economy. I welcome that significant numbers of additional jobs were announced today for Galway and Athlone by SAP and Ericssons. The Government has been seen to be somewhat uncaring on the issue of medical cards. Some of the questions that people are being asked defy logic. We need to examine this entire area. I question the quality of the management team running the medical card system. Is it fit for purpose? I suspect it would not survive in private enterprise. I urge the Leader to organise a debate on the medical card system at the earliest opportunity because some of the decisions taken in recent times are not right.