Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

When I was at a wake last week, I met a gentleman who happened to be a Fianna Fáil supporter who said his pension represented a great increase on the pension received by his grandfather in the 1950s. Fianna Fáil supporters, including Deputies, often fail to acknowledge that increases in most social welfare payments such as fuel allowance are index-linked and subject to inflation. The Government failed to acknowledge that point during the circus that was budget day. It is natural that there will be increases in payments which are index-linked when inflation is taken into consideration.

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