Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

Let us be clear about the matter. This Government took office almost three years after Ireland's extreme banking crisis began on St. Patrick's Day in 2008, when a collapse in the share price of Anglo Irish Bank signalled the beginning of the economic collapse of this country, the closure of many businesses and the loss of employment for tens of thousands of people. The previous Government's actions generated an unprecedented economic and social crisis and it also reduced social welfare supports.

Both parties in this Government are committed to protecting the vulnerable and forging a new Ireland built on fairness and equal citizenship. Our objective is that by the end of our term Ireland will be recognised as a modern, fair, socially inclusive and equal society supported by a productive and prosperous economy. This Government is determined to pursue a deficit reduction strategy and we have to take into account the overall constraints which result from the agreement the previous Government entered into with the IMF and the EU. Our immediate priority is to introduce a range of job measures designed to reduce reliance on welfare supports. We will investigate social welfare rates later this year in the context of the budget and, unlike the previous Government, we are committed to maintaining payment rates. As the economy begins to grow and we sort out the banking crisis, we will continue to find ways of protecting the most vulnerable and needy in Irish society.

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