Ministers seem to have autonomy

When asked yesterday on RTÉ about Martin Ferris, TD, using a medical card to get free medical treatment even though he enjoys a salary of over 70,000 a year, the Minister for Finance refused to address the question, contending that he has a policy of not personalising issues.

Deputy Ferris broke no law, but it is absurd that he should have be entitled to free medical treatment for three years, while people earning only a fraction of what he is getting must pay for their treatment.

The minister for finance seems to be introducing a new practice to obscure this government’s tactic of introducing new taxes by stealth. We have already seen the increase in motor taxes announced since the