Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)

-----it treats the most vulnerable in society. A coalition Government such as we have that is prepared to attack the most vulnerable, irrespective of what one says, is a Government without a social conscience. I know Fianna Fáil supporters, canvassers and so forth and they have always prided themselves on the fact that they have a social conscience but the leadership of Fianna Fáil does not have a social conscience. Unfortunately, the Green Party has been compromised by the lack of a social conscience in this Government.

The minimum wage affects non-nationals. As Deputy Burton said, it affects women more than men. It will effectively take more than €40 a week out of the pockets of people on the minimum wage, and the Government is doing that on the pretext that it is to sustain the economy and to create growth and jobs.

The reality is that people on the minimum wage, low income families and those whom I would call the working poor spend every cent they make in local economies. How can the Government make an argument for creating growth when effectively it is creating unemployment? That is what this Government is doing by attacking the most vulnerable.

Members of this House earn more than €90,000 a year. Not one cent has been taken off our wages. Not one cent has been taken off the wages of Ministers of State, yet the poor misfortunate woman or man who was on €8.56 an hour now finds himself or herself down €40 a week. Those people are dependent on the minimum wage to feed their children, to put petrol in their cars to get to work, to put food on the table and to clothe their children. That is what this Government has done.

This Government does not have a social conscience. I am looking at the officials opposite and I have no doubt many officials are highly embarrassed by the political direction this Government is taking. They are-----

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