Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will have to keep a careful hold of my blood pressure. Deputy Catherine Byrne refers to leaking by the previous Government. That is hugely ironic in view of the fact that the Government has made leaking an art form. Half of the measures announced in the budget were leaked in advance; it, therefore, ill behoves any member or supporter of the Administration to criticise any previous Administration for leaking.

Deputy Catherine Byrne also referred to the free telephone rental allowance and other household benefits. The free telephone rental allowance is no more and, whatever about the people she represents, this causes a great deal of angst, anxiety and distress among the people I represent. Elderly people are living behind barricades, in particular in rural Ireland, with no access to a telephone because they cannot afford the telephone rental cost. It was the abolition of the free telephone allowance that removed that lifeline from them. I know one or two cases adjacent to my constituency in which people have been subject to very serious crime. They would have been helped had they had a telephone and been able to call An Garda Síochána.

A figure of €400 is being mentioned in respect of water charges. I would never support a Government that would introduce water charges without taking ability to pay into account, regardless of how badly off a person is. There are people in my constituency living on €188 a week who are paying rent to the city council, yet they have to pay water charges. Similarly, people in living Moyross, Southhill and St. Mary's Park are living in conditions of abject poverty. They are dependent on social welfare payments, yet they are paying property tax which is being forcibly deducted from them by Limerick City and County Council. I could go on, but I do not want to delay proceedings unduly.

Deputy Catherine Byrne says she is on the doorsteps and that people are extremely happy and content. Many of the people I represent are in the same category represents. Good luck to her if the people she meets are happy with an increase of €3 a week, but I know that the people I represent certainly are not happy.