Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

While it is regrettable that we have been obliged to cut the weekly rate, it would not have been possible to exclude just one group. We could not, for example, have cut the rates paid to carers and not cut those relating to another of the working-age groups.

There has been a great deal of discussion with regard to the sensitivities that apply in respect cutting allowances for people with disabilities. I accept that we are talking here about an extremely vulnerable group.

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