Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Amendment No. 1 in my name and that of my party colleagues states:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" up to and including "welfare rates" were it firstly occurs and substitute the following:

"— condemns the draconian, unnecessary and counter-productive cuts to social welfare payments imposed by the Fianna Fáil Government on job seekers, carers, people with disabilities, pensioners, children and lone parents which were made in the interests of protecting the wealthy;

— recognises the depressing impact of such cuts on the local economy and the extensive job losses as a result of same;

— rejects out of hand the characterisation of unemployment as a 'lifestyle choice' by the Labour Party's Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton;

— calls for the reversal of cuts to the fuel allowances of pensioners and those on long term social welfare announced by the Fianna Fáil Government and introduced by the current Labour Party and Fine Gael Government which will otherwise undoubtedly cost lives amongst older people and those with disabilities in particular;

— agrees that it is possible to tackle the annual budget deficit without cutting spending on social welfare if a political decision is made to target wealth.

Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a roinnt leis na Teachtaí Seamus Healy agus Michael Healy-Rae.

The motion before us is slightly bizarre. Having used its final few budgets in government to target social welfare recipients, the Fianna Fáil Party has a brass neck proposing the motion and pretending to care about them.

See this speech in context