Dáil debates

Thursday, 5 February 2009

Stabilisation of the Public Finances: Motion (Resumed)

 

12:00 pm

Photo of Shane McEnteeShane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

The 329,000 people who are unemployed are not being treated properly. They must wait in queues every day to get some information on their benefits and weeks to get a few euro to pay their bills and feed their families. The Government did nothing in its announcement on Tuesday to address this situation. It must establish units — be it in a hotel or other location — in every town, such as Trim, Navan and Kells, to give people access to information on unemployment benefits. We were promised extra staff would be put in place to deal with the increase in benefit applications. These people must be looked after because they are the most important people in our community at this stage. They must not go to England, Australia or America. The Minister must put money in place for these people, who are made up from my family, the Minister's family and everybody's family. People should get up off their butts and help.

I do not know who was advising the other day but anybody in business knows that if one part of a business is thriving, one does not take the two feet from under it. That is what we did the other day when we depressed the matter further. The Government forced families on middle incomes to make the decision of whether they are better on the dole or working. A man on €60,000 a year with four or five kids, with one or two going to college, is losing €5,000 a year or €100 a week. He would be better off on the dole.

What was done in Germany after the First World War? They did not go into depression but rather found work for their people. They did the very same after the Second World War, finding work for the people and giving them an incentive to get up in the morning and rebuild. We could rebuild this country as we have only half done it. Our roads are a mess and we could be using our railways much more.

The buck has been passed to the public sector in trying to get us out with this €2 billion but that is not worth tuppence. It will not be nearly enough to bail us out. The banks are currently controlling us and they are calling for property taxes. Yet they are doing nothing for the people who left this country and will crucify the people who bought property here. Where is the penalty for the people who got €10 million or €15 million to build luxury homes and golf courses abroad? Fianna Fáil has let down every working class person in this country and what it did the other day was the end for the rebuilding of this country. The Government should get out, give people work and look after the people who are unemployed until they get work.

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