Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Labour Party is opposed to guillotining the debate on the Social Welfare Bill at 2 p.m. today. It is bad enough that this Government is cutting the payments and allowances that are being made to people who are blind, widows, people who are out of work, people with disabilities and people who are caring for members of their families. It is bad enough that those cuts are being brought in under this budget but it adds insult to injury to do it in the way the Government is doing it by saying that it will close discussion on the Bill at 2 p.m. today without giving an opportunity to every Member of the Dáil who wants to contribute to it to do so and, more particularly, without giving us an opportunity to tease out some of the hidden cuts contained in the budget.

See this speech in context