Mary O'Rourke (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

That would be lovely but then as I came in I thought it would not be lovely because one likes to feel that one is contributing to a full debate, which this is from the point of view of the Labour Party, on how this payment could be made out of the social welfare budget. That means that if the Christmas bonus was to be paid, it would have to come from the subhead of some other item in social welfare. It is only when one has been a Minister, and I do not want to talk myself up or down, and faced with a plethora of subheads, which is particularly acute in the Department of Social and Family Affairs, that one must make a decision. These are Government decisions. To taunt and say silly things across the Chamber - calling people Marie Antoinette, for example - is puerile and infantile. It was as if someone took delight in the decision. I am quite sure Marie Antoinette took delight when she said whatever she said, historians have changed their minds several times on it. To think that anybody would approach with delight saying to people that a Christmas bonus would not be paid would mean that person is very sadistic.

Nobody wants to do this but the country is faced with a 20% increase in the social welfare budget, mainly due to the rising tide of unemployment. It is sad and almost hopeless for people with no jobs. I know the Minister is trying to ensure that those who have to queue for benefits would be treated in a dignified and proper fashion and I reiterate that today. People are now looking to get unemployment benefits who have never dreamt of or faced today's measure of unemployment.

We cannot cut the single parent allowance, unemployment benefit or child benefit. Neither can we cut the carer's allowance. We all met with carers' groups prior to the supplementary budget and we indicated that the very best we could hope for would be no dilution of the carer's benefit payments or the respite payment for carers. That was preserved.

I do not know in the present climate how long more we can keep preserving such measures. Social welfare has the first call, which is correct for a society in which people have rightly always placed great emphasis on looking after those who are vulnerable and in need. My plea today is that we all would continue to wish to focus on the unemployed, single parents and child benefit. We should ensure that those who get some measure of support and comfort from such payments will continue to be able to do so. I am hopeful that this will continue to be the tenet of Government.

The Minister opened a chink in the argument last night and Deputy Enright asked her to elaborate on that chink.

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