Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Crawford for sharing time. For years, we have listened to rhetoric from Fianna Fáil-led Governments about protecting the poor and vulnerable and how they are at all times fair to those most in need. This ceased yesterday with the introduction of a budget that is anti-poor, anti-family and anti-children.

The Minister for Social and Family Affairs chose to take money from large numbers of the poorest people while ignoring waste in her Department. I will cite one example of the continuing waste in Departments. What is the cost of producing the propaganda sheet titled "Budget Factsheet"? The document makes no reference to the cuts in social welfare and states that older people are protected from the cuts. Has the Minister forgotten the old age pensioners who were at the gates of Leinster House this time last year? More recently, the Government abolished the Christmas bonus. These matters have been forgotten. If ever we had an example of waste - this Government is supposed to be conscious of the financial state in which we find ourselves - this document is it. The Minister must think again.

Who would have thought the Government would cut €8.20 per week from the widow's pension and reduce the pension for blind people by €8.30 per week? Has the Minister forgotten the national disability strategy, as set out in the Towards 2016 document? The agreed programme for Government featured a commitment to reverse the exclusion of people with disabilities and ensure their full and equal participation in all aspects of life. Once more, this is a forgotten dream.

The Government will not pay the Christmas bonus to pensioners but pretends it has been lenient and understanding of their circumstances in the budget. Those who are dependent on social welfare will have to take a greater hit than Ministers whose pay has been reduced by only 5%, notwithstanding the valiant efforts in yesterday's Budget Statement to confuse people by claiming the cut is 15%.

Speaking on radio this morning, the Minister for Finance stated that cutting the entitlements of the elderly and disabled was the right thing to do to bring about financial rectitude. A few moments ago Deputy Fahey took a similar line. The Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, stated he did not give a damn whether he is re-elected. He does not want to face the electorate. That is the attitude that prevails in this Fianna Fáil-led Government.

The Government has shown callous disregard for people in need. The reduction of €16 per week in child benefit was a means of slashing the living conditions of the poor to pay for the economic mess the Government created.

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