Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I will share my time with my colleague, Deputy Eamon Gilmore. It is bad enough to hear Fianna Fáil backbenchers not knowing what the powers are in this matter, but when a Minister of State does not know the powers and in so far as he does he differs with his Minister, one wonders what is really happening in Government on this issue. My colleagues have clearly set out why this is a simple straightforward issue of inequity which imposes severe financial hardship on many low income families and households. The extent to which it can vary from one part of the country to another and differ a mile down the road is simply unjustifiable.

What we are seeking in this motion is no more and no less than to introduce a uniform national waiver scheme. As my colleague, Deputy O'Sullivan, said, something similar has been argued for in local newspapers by the Fianna Fáil Deputy, Peter Power. Unfortunately, he did not repeat that on the record of the House. However, he is on the record in Limerick and his position is very close to ours. Fianna Fáil Deputies have bad habits in Limerick and it is not the first time a Limerick Deputy said one thing in the House and another down in Limerick. The late Deputy Jim Kemmy said mighty mouse in the constituency and church mouse in the Dáil. That could apply to Deputy Peter Power. He may have picked up bad habits from the Minister of Defence, Deputy O'Dea. However, he is right. It is possible to implement a national waiver scheme.

My colleague, Deputy Gilmore, when he presented this motion, clearly set out three ways it could be done. For pensioners, the waste waiver could be added as an additional free scheme. For others on social welfare and pensioners who do not qualify for free schemes, the waiver could be paid as an additional payment, like the living alone allowance or the fuel allowance. For workers on low incomes, the waiver could come as a tax credit. Contrary to what is said on the opposite side of the House, there is no difficulty in it being done if the will is there. The motion refers to ongoing discussions with the social partners to tackle the inequity the Labour Party is addressing tonight. When I asked the Taoiseach about it at Question Time today, he did not appear to know anything about it. He said there are many committees and it could be under examination in one of them. I have no doubt that a majority on the Fianna Fáil benches acknowledge the hardship being unnecessarily imposed on people with low incomes as a result of the discrepancies that have grown so dramatically since these charges were first implemented.

Deputy Gregory's contribution got my attention. It is rarely that Deputy Gregory not just visits this House but visits the country. He appears to think he can attack the Labour Party with impunity. I heard him spread his miserable bile tonight to distort this motion. I am surprised he is in the House. I read in this morning's newspapers that he will travel to the by-election constituencies in search of an independent candidate he can help. If it is true that Deputy Gregory is travelling — and he is more travelled than any public representative in Ireland inside or outside the Dáil — that independent candidate should know that he will expect to get paid for it.

For Deputy Gregory, as somebody who was so recently a member of a local authority, to pretend that he does not know what the powers are and that he does not know the former Minister, Deputy Cullen, introduced a law which removed power from the elected local representatives and conferred it on the city and county managers as an executive function, is to be untruthful and deliberately to misrepresent the position. Deputy Gregory knows that. He is now all in favour of Labour Party councillors collapsing the council and refusing to agree an estimate. When he was a member of the local authority he was not so quick to recommend the collapse of the council.

My friend, Deputy O'Connor, is present and all he is concerned about is being on the side of the angels and mentioning Tallaght as frequently as possible in his speeches.

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