Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

Tá brón orm go bhfuil Bille chomh holc leis an mBille Leasa Shóisialaigh agus Pinsean (Uimh. 2) 2009 os comhair na Dála. Ba cheart go mbeadh náire ar Theachtaí Fhianna Fáil agus an Chomhaontais Ghlais agus ar na Teachtaí eile atá ag tacú leis an mBille seo. It has been 80 years since we have had social welfare cutbacks in this country. When the former Labour Party Minister for Finance, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, left office in 1997 some 1,000 export led jobs were being created every week. The rainbow coalition Government handed over an economy in very good shape to the Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrat Government. Who would have believed that some 12 years later the economy would have deteriorated to the extent that social welfare cuts would be contemplated, let alone implemented? If and when it is enacted, the Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009 will do exactly that in the most savage, uncaring and unfair way.

There were other ways to find the €4 billion required, rather than to attack the income of the least well off in society, while those best able to pay got away relatively unscathed. This Bill is a focussed attack on widows, carers, widowers, disabled and the unemployed. It is also an attack on children. Each child in the State for whom child benefit is being paid will be penalised to the extent of €16 per month. Families on low income are to be compensated by an increase in qualified child payment for those on social welfare payments and through the family income supplement for those on low pay. It should be remembered that there is a low uptake on family income supplement and for those families on social welfare payment, there is a 4.5% decrease in personal rates and the qualified adult allowance.

This amounts to a reduction in the personal allowance in the jobseekers' benefit of €8.30 and a drop of €5.40 in qualified adult allowance. Therefore, for a couple depending solely on jobseekers' benefit, this constitutes a reduction of €13.70 as of 1 January 2010. How can anyone seek to justify such an appalling attack on the income of the less well off? "Harsh" is too soft a word to describe this totally unfair beggaring of the unemployed. Equally, where is the justification for penalising widows, widowers and deserted wives to the tune of €8.30 per week on their benefits, or for reducing carers benefit and constant care allowance by €8.20 and the carers allowance by €8.50? I repeat that there are other ways of finding this money, rather than plundering the income of these vulnerable groups.

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