David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The most pressing issue facing the vast majority of working people and the unemployed in the State is the upcoming budget. It is vital for us to have debates and discussions with as many Ministers as possible in the run-up to the budget. With all the talk about political reform, it is high time that the budget was done in a different way and not presented as a fait accompli as has been the case for far too long. After discussions with his party and with senior officials in Departments, the Minister for Finance comes to the House and then presents what is a fait accompli and very few changes are made. We in the Oireachtas need to change how we do business and the budget represents a good opportunity to do that.

The Taoiseach made a very interesting comment last week when he said he feels the pain of people who are suffering at the moment. Does he really feel the pain of those unemployed people who spend almost every hour of the day trying to get a job? I do not believe the Taoiseach really feels the pain of the people who have emigrated and the parents who have watched their loved ones emigrate. I do not believe he feels the pain of people with disabilities and carers who have experienced cuts. All the savage cuts imposed by the Government have driven more people into poverty. If the Taoiseach genuinely felt their pain he would not be about to impose a further austerity budget on the people.

My party would welcome a smaller adjustment. However, it is not about the adjustment but about how it is made. It is about where the money comes from and where the cuts are made. In recent years all the evidence from various bodies, including State bodies, has shown that lower and middle-income families and the unemployed have disproportionately taken the brunt of the cuts - often very savage cuts. If the Taoiseach really feels those people's pain, he should do things differently this year and introduce a fairer budget. Various political parties and organisations have proposed costed alternatives to do things in a fairer way without hammering people who have suffered far too much from budgets in recent years.