Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I listened earlier to the Minister for Social Protection. It is a pity the debates are not organised in such a way that one could respond directly in the presence of the Minister. I will respond to the Minister for Agriculture, food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, in his capacity as a member of the Government which has just introduced a budget that unfairly targets young people.

The Minister for Social Protection claimed that the core weekly rates were protected in this budget. Just because one repeats something 100 times, it does not make it true. If it is not true, it is an untruth and in another forum I would be allowed to call it a lie. I am not allowed to do so in the Chamber. In fact, it is an untruth and a porky. It is wrong to suggest weekly rates are not being cut. Young people will be down by €44 each week. If nothing else, that is a core rate cut. It is not only young people who are affected; 65 year olds who can no longer work owing to a disability will be in receipt of €36.80 less per week for one year. That is also a cut in the core rate and there were cuts to the core rate in the previous budget also. It is referred to in the documentation as “discontinuing rates and introducing new rates”, but that does not change the fact that it is a cut in core rates. All the propaganda and bullshite heard outside the Chamber to the effect that there are no changes to social welfare rates is wrong. I hope that will be exposed in the newspapers.

The vast majority of the 1,700 emigrating each week are young people. Since the Government came to power, there are 18,000 fewer young people working in the economy. The number of long-term unemployed young people on jobseeker’s allowance has risen from 39% of the total in January 2011 to 49% in October 2012.

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