Margaret Conlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

——despite unprecedented economic obstacles and given the massive spend required to keep pace with all of the schemes administered by the Department, it is clear that the Government has sought to prioritise and protect those who depend on our support. At this time when it is imperative that public expenditure be strictly controlled in the national interest, the Government's commitment to an increased provision for social welfare is an unequivocal statement of the Government's intent to protect the less well-off in society.

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