Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Ba mhaith liom an Dáil a chur ar athló chun déileáil le gné rí-thabhachtach, namely, the urgent need for the Government to listen to the children of Ireland and respond to the Christmas Wish campaign organised by Protest Against Child Unfriendly Budget by offering a public guarantee that child benefit will not be cut, taxed or means-tested in the coming budget and to instead pursue an alternative route to economic recovery as advocated by Sinn Féin, the trade unions and the community and voluntary pillar on foot of which social spending on children and families could act as a much-needed stimulus for growth in the local economy and the unspent riches of the wealthy would be appropriately taxed in order to lift the disproportionate burden of recovery that is to be unfairly placed on the small shoulders of Ireland's children in budget 2011.

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