Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)

It is an absolute disgrace that this has happened. I do not blame the Minister of State, I blame the man sitting beside him. It is a total lack of recognition of the value of this scheme. What does one say to the Clontarf Active Retirement Association who held a meeting and 50 people turned up? Does one say, "Hold on, there are too many of ye, we cannot give ye all money, we will give it to one or two in the group"? This scheme worked and it was creating employment. Does the Minister of State not realise the various groups created employment by hiring electricians or people to install the equipment? It is unbelievable to think there will now be a fourth review of the scheme which has been in operation since 1996 when it was introduced by Prionsias De Rossa. The Minister of State is now going to start another review. It is unbelievable to think that the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, is hiding behind all the associations and he is using them. I do not blame the Minister of State, Deputy Curran. The Minister is using those associations to hide one of the worst decisions of the budget. He did not have the guts to come out and say the scheme was being cut because the money was not there. He hid behind the associations, saying there would be a review when each and every one of them wrote to every Member saying the scheme should not be suspended. They said the scheme was of wonderful benefit to the communities where it was being implemented. The Minister should not try to tell us he is working with the associations. He is hiding behind them. The Minister, not the Minister of State, Deputy Curran, is the man responsible for this.

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