Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

The most striking aspect of this Bill and the budget is how much effort has been put into politically proofing it and how little attention has been given to considering the true effects of its proposals on the daily lives of ordinary people. Families, the unemployed, low and middle income earners, carers, the less well-off, the self-employed and those struggling just to get by, were all targeted by a budget obsessed with the €6 billion adjustment figure but lacking any understanding of the effect of the budget cuts on the lives of ordinary people already suffering because of the recession.

The Government, afraid of a backlash similar to its mishandling of the medical card scandal, has learned to avoid headline figures but to be discreet about all other cuts. We have had cuts in the widow's pension, disablement pension and blind pension, among others. According to the Minister's budget factsheet issued by his Department yesterday, "Older people are fully protected". Have blind pensioners and pensioners with disabilities been protected?

The Government has shown total disregard for certain categories of pensioners in sneaking through these cuts while propagating nonsense such as the statement on the Minister's budget factsheet. Older people who are dependent on the fuel allowance will hardly be jumping for joy with the additional €40. It will, at best, provide for a couple of days heating in this current cold snap. We know what will happen for the rest of the winter. These people will either go to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, if they are lucky and able to access such assistance, or else they will be freezing in their homes, afraid to turn on the heating.

Child benefit was cut by €10 for the first and second children and €20 for the third child. There is no rationale for the additional cut for the third child and the attempts that have been made to justify it ring hollow. Child benefit, as my constituents constantly attest to me, is being relied upon more and more to cover the basics and to keep bread on the table, as this recession takes an ever greater toll on families across the country.

These crude cuts show just how little this Government understands the plight of families in the current economic climate. The poorest are hit with the same child benefit cuts as the very wealthiest. This flat cut is completely discriminatory against the very poorest. Those without a voice were again hit the hardest.

There is to be another €8 cut in jobseeker's benefit and allowance as well as a further €2 costs in rent allowance. This is conveniently described as a reform, not a cut. A further €6 cut is imposed on those jobseekers aged between 22 and 24 who will now receive only €144 a week. They had €50 a week taken last year. These measures are also proposed, to use the phrase, "make work pay", but when there is no work these people must simply take the hit.

Much has been made of returning these payment rates to 2006 levels for child benefit and to 2008 levels for social welfare payments, on the basis that costs are at levels last seen in these years. The Minister has clearly not checked the rise in the price of electricity, home heating oil, petrol, gas, bin charges, hospital charges, health insurance, car insurance, house insurance or any of the other myriad of charges faced by the average citizen.

The carer's allowance was cut, again taking money from those who save the State so much and provide vital care to the elderly or to those with disabilities, in their homes, where they want to be located. It is simply another instance of carers being taken for granted.

The Government promised much in yesterday's budget but delivered an array of cuts and penalties without any hope for the future. There was no pretence of fairness in yesterday's budget and no pretence of fairness in this Bill. The figures are clear. They are an attack on the low to middle income earners; an attack on those dependent on social welfare.

Apart from the impact of the drop in living standards that will result from these cuts, what is more galling for those affected by them was to listen to the Government stress how hard it has been for it to make these decisions. Is this the Government's idea of an expression of solidarity? Given the Government's responsibility for causing this mess, does it feel the need to show that times are tough for it too? The decisions taken in yesterday's budget were shameful, but the pretence of fairness was worse. The people know this and the more this Government talks, the less people listen and certainly, the less they believe.

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