Health insurance:Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny's declaration that free health insurance for under-16s and free GP care for under-fives would be introduced on a phased basis over the next five years has been contradicted by the party's deputy leader, Richard Bruton.
The plan to provide free health insurance for every child under 16 and free medical care for under-fives forms a key part of Fine Gael and Labour's joint manifesto for the general election, which will be decided by voting on Thursday.
During the television debate with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern last Thursday the Fine Gael leader said that a Fine Gael-led government would negotiate with doctors and others in the medical field shortly after the formation of a government.
"You decide when to roll it out and by the end of the fifth year of government, as part of my contract, every child under five will have that access," he told RTÉ's Miriam O'Callaghan when she pressed him for extra details.
"You could start with the five-year-olds and work backwards, or you can work it upwards, it's a five-year programme. I'm not tying it to a date. I'm saying at the end of the fifth year every child under five in the country will have access to free GP services", he said.
However, Mr Bruton, the party's finance spokesman, gave a significantly different answer when questioned on the matter at a Fine Gael/Labour economic briefing yesterday, alongside Labour's Ruairí Quinn.
"We have indicated that we will move immediately in the first 100 days to negotiate the packages that would introduce these and we will introduce them as a single measure when we have negotiated a proper deal.
"We are not going to set a date, because it would undermine the negotiating position of a minister for health. But you can take it that these are priorities that we will introduce as single measures when we have negotiated a satisfactory measure."
Asked repeatedly if this meant that the services would be made available to all qualifying children together, and not over a phased introduction, Mr Bruton told The Irish Times: "No, we will introduce it as a single measure."
