Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

Why? They make a valuable contribution to society. They keep those for whom they care in their homes, they do a service to the State and what they want is recognition. They certainly do not want their payment cut in such a savage way. I do not understand why the blind pension has been cut. The percentage of the budget they receive must be minimal, so why target them? The cut in child benefit is a statement about where the Government perceives families and children in society. I have heard the argument that some people who receive child benefit could do without it. The State recognises the value of having and rearing children and the costs associated with same but, more important, it needs to recognise the contribution that those children make to the future of society. Similar to the debate on individualisation some years ago, it is about what we are as a nation and how we recognise children, families and those who care for children. That is an important statement but the proposals before the House certainly undermine the type of society and State in which I want to participate. Children and families have been always very important in this country. It has been recognised that those who have or support children need to be supported. Those cuts are particularly difficult for people and I do not understand why those sections of society have been targeted. It is a backward step. There are other areas which could have been targeted by the Government.

In the short time remaining to me I will concentrate on the young unemployed. CSO figures show that youth unemployment has jumped by 51,000 in the past two years. In November 2007 the figure was 32,000 of under-25s on the live register and in November 2009, this figure had increased to 83,000, an increase of almost 160%. This is a great many young people. We need to give those people hope. We need to recognise they have a contribution to make to society and we certainly do not need to tell them there is no future for them here and that their benefits are being cut. We all know there are not enough places for them all. What is one to tell a 21-year old who has graduated from CIT or UCC in the past year, that he or she should go on another course or they will not get any payment? There are no jobs for them. What this budget missed is a focus on creating jobs. Fine Gael proposed a number of measures that could have tackled youth unemployment such as supporting work share policies, an internship programme, education, community employment and apprenticeship schemes. There were many and varied options available to the Government but they chose to ignore them. Instead, they cut the benefits and told the young people to find a course and if they could not find a course they would not be paid.

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