Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

This is new information provided to the House. I asked the Taoiseach about the post-budget legislative arrangements the Government intends to make. The Taoiseach is now telling us that there will be two very significant tranches of legislation. The Social Welfare Bill is obviously intended to cut social welfare and the Government proposes to rush it. We will have the budget on Wednesday. The Taoiseach is now indicating he will introduce the Bill on Thursday afternoon and take all Stages by Friday evening. This is not acceptable. Apart from what he intends to do with the budget, this is an insult to the people, including the carers, the many people on disability, pensioners and people on social welfare payments. It is not only a matter of what he plans to do in the budget but his attempt to do it in this way. He is now saying there will be more legislation to deal with the pay issue. I have raised with the Taoiseach several times-----

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