Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Ring for sharing his time with me. I welcome the creation of the new scheme, Tús, which will be organised through the Leader partnership companies throughout the country. It is important that the good work started by FÁS over the years is continued, in particular much of the fine environmental work it supports. Previously such schemes operated on a week on, week off basis but it now seems the new scheme will operate on a 19.5 hour week . Perhaps the Minister will tell us later how that will be organised.

In his Budget Statement yesterday, the Minister for Finance said that everybody will pay, and that those who can pay most will pay most. He also stated, in a rather dismissive way, probably in order to lessen the impact of the cuts and justify them, that welfare rates are higher in Ireland than in Britain and remain above 2007 levels. He fails to realise, or simply will not admit, the cost of goods and services in Ireland relative to those in Britain. The statistics released last week by the CSO clearly indicated that for 2009 the levels of consistent poverty rose from 4.2% in 2008 to 5.5%, while the numbers of people unable to afford basic requirements rose to 25%. This was before the impact of the cuts in this budget are taken into account. The consumer index rose by 2% in 2010, which will lead to even greater poverty and hardship.

Minister Ó Cuív's selective use of figures from 2004 to date are a clear indication that he is trying to veil the reality of the crisis that exists in social welfare. How can he as Minister for Social Protection reconcile this situation with what he has allowed to happen to the most vulnerable people in our society? He has said repeatedly that we must all share the pain, but this has not happened. It was hard enough for people on carer's allowance, pensions for the blind, disability allowances, invalidity pensions, widows' pensions or unemployment benefit to get by before this budget, but now, faced with a cut of €8 per week for most of them, or €10 per month for child benefit, it will be even harder for them to survive. Some €873 million has been taken from the most vulnerable people in society. There is no fairness in that. Shame on the Minister.

Time and again before the budget announcement yesterday, we were told that all the details were well flagged. It was disgusting to see Government backbenchers, along with Deputies Lowry and Healy-Rae posturing in defence of no social welfare cuts for the most vulnerable. They were ignored by the Government and the cuts were introduced. In today's edition of The Irish Times, the editorial comments on that decision and states it "indicates either naked fear of our international rescuers or an indifference to poverty and hardship that is shameful." The Minister for Social Protection has failed to protect the weakest in our society for whom he has responsibility and has callously stated that the adjustments - which most people would call cuts - were necessary and that pensioners, carers and unemployed people would face far greater cuts in the future if the cuts were not made now. He has repeated that tonight. He said he was aware that the changes made would affect the lives of many people. Not only do they affect the lives of people, they destroy the lives of many people.

The Minister says he will reduce his bill by €100 million by reducing the numbers of people on the dole. Where are the jobs for these people? He is hardly talking about the short-term jobs as ones that will provide 5,000 jobs. If he is, that is only more of the camouflage and deceit we have had from the Government over the past three or four years. It is important that the Minister outlines for once and for all where jobs will be created in his area.

See this speech in context