Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

This Government clearly lost its sense of fairness when it drafted this budget. In a week when people who earn small weekly incomes are facing further cuts, it was announced that €40 million is to be paid out in bonuses to bank staff. Does anybody in the Government understand how this contrast resonates with the public? Widows, blind people and carers are told they must accept cuts. In ignoring fairness, this Parliament is losing the people. They believe we do not care about them. The Government must not have been thinking when it framed this budget.

Why are we imposing these cuts? The Irish people did not cause our problems. Over the past 13 years, our financial institutions drove us into bankruptcy through their irresponsible actions. It was not the fault of the ordinary person. We would not be in this mess but for our banking system and the manner in which our Government dealt with it. That is why the minimum wage is being cut and these hard measures are being introduced. We would not need this budget if the banking crisis had not arisen. In the same week as these hard measures are imposed on the people, it was announced that €40 million is being paid out by a bankrupt financial institution.

There is a danger that we will become a begrudging society. The events that took place in London yesterday could have occurred outside the gates of these Houses if we were not fortunate enough to have snow and ice on our streets.

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