Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)

When we come through the hallway at the entrance to Leinster House every day, we pass an original copy of the 1916 Proclamation hanging on the wall. It states Ireland will cherish "all of the children of the nation equally". We have come to the Chamber this evening, 95 years on, to defend universal child benefit. That an attempt is seemingly being made to diminish it shows how little progress the State has made in some respects. As the Proclamation states, we must cherish all of the children of the nation equally. That should be our mission statement. Rather than focusing on improving the quality of life of children in the State, the Government - if we are to believe the leaks - is threatening to impose a further burden on families which are struggling to survive the economic recession.

We do not have any reports from the German Parliament on this one, but media reports suggest child benefit might be cut by €10 a week. Such a cut would make little difference to some. For many, however, €10 a week is the difference between having and not having a meal, having and not having shoes, or having and not having warm clothes. How can anybody dare to threaten to take these moneys from children? The problems faced by the economy and the country were not brought about by the children who benefit most from child benefit. In 2005 the level of consistent poverty stood at 11%. We acknowledge that this figure dropped to 6% when child benefit was increased. Unfortunately, these gains have been reversed. Some 9% of people are now living in consistent poverty, while a further 10% are at risk of poverty. What is the Minister for Social Protection who represents the Labour Party doing in these circumstances? She is choosing to take the lazy and easy option of threatening to cut child benefit. It was shameful of the Minister to make such a threat.

Rather than going after high paid senior civil servants, the Government is going after children living in poverty. Rather than increasing tax on the wealthy, it is threatening to bury more children in poverty. What sort of Labour Party does this? I suggest the Irish Labour Party is doing it. James Connolly would be weeping if he were looking down on it now. From my viewpoint, it is all the more frustrating because it does not have to be like this. If the Government took the time to read the proposals made by Sinn Féin in its pre-budget submission, Route to Recovery, it would learn that other approaches are available. A growing body of economists agree that the Government cannot cut its way out of recession. The way out of it is to eliminate wasteful spending. We suggest the Government should start at the top by capping the wages of senior civil servants at €100,000, creating a wealth tax and, importantly, putting a €7 billion package in place to stimulate job creation and help the economy to grow.

Government spokespersons seem to be on the airwaves night and day. They are on our television screens on a daily basis to tell us just how bad things really are. They say we must learn to live within our means. They remind us that there is simply not enough money to go around. That is not true, however. The money is available and we can choose what to do with it. Over €20 billion has been taken out of the economy since 2009. On 2 November the Government chose to sign away €715 million to unsecured bondholders. It has promised another windfall - €1.25 billion on this occasion - for unguaranteed bondholders in January 2012. How many children would sleep safer and warmer in their beds tonight if money was put into child benefit rather than the bank accounts of unguaranteed bondholders? This time last year the Labour Party lambasted Fianna Fáil and the Green Party for cutting child benefit. It covered every part of the country, including my constituency, with posters calling on the people to vote for the Labour Party in order to protect child benefit. Where has that approach gone? I appeal to the Government, especially the Labour Party, not to cut child benefit. If it does, it will be remembered for it.

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