Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I dislike speaking about absent Members, unlike Deputies Buttimer and Durkan who fired many criticisms of us across the floor of the House. There appears to be a competition between Deputies Buttimer and Durkan in terms of who can be the loudest heckler. While they insulted us for not being in the House, they have now run out themselves.

The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, waxed eloquently this morning with his satirical tongue and poisonous pens. His former colleague, Séan Treacy, a former Ceann Comhairle of some renown, fadó, fadó, once said to me: "Poisonous pens and slanderous tongues shall not prevail against me." Deputy Rabbitte called members of the Technical Group, elected Members of this House, a dolly mixture and a mix and match. How dare he. He is the folly Minister on that side of the House. He needs to cop on.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney has succeeded in these serious times in ensuring that this is in the main a positive budget for farming. Included are research and development for small businesses, tax incentive schemes, the microfinance scheme and many other wonderful schemes that are badly needed. I welcome the start-up loan scheme of up to €25,000 and seed capital scheme which provides that income taxes paid over five years by unemployed people can be used as seed capital in setting up their own business. These are wonderful schemes, as is the stock relief, the reduction in stamp duty and the transfer of land from elderly parents to their sons and daughters. I welcome the exemption for those earning up to €10,000 from the universal social charge. Many people employed in farming earn under €10,000. The reduction in stamp duty is also a positive step.

The only negative is the attack on disadvantaged areas and the REP-AEO schemes, which have been beneficial. Agriculture saved us during the last recession. It was forgotten about during the silly days of the Celtic tiger but it is our bread and butter. It has massively increased our exports during recent years and has the potential to do so again. It is important we do not hit the most disadvantaged people in the uplands. I previously fought, along with some of my back bench colleagues, the late Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan, and the Minister for Agriculture at the time, to retain REPS and to introduce the new AEO scheme. All of this money is spent locally on fencing, planting, reclamation, drainage and so on and the employment of local contractors. They are good schemes. Agriculture must be protected. I compliment the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, and his colleagues in Government, as did Deputy Barry who has experience in business. Successive Governments failed to have a business person at the Cabinet table. While they had people from all walks of life, all whom were elected Members, they did not have business brains, which are required if we are to root out lazy officials who have taken over and cannot be shifted or managed. Successive Governments have failed to rein them in.

On social welfare cuts, the fuel allowance has been cut by six weeks, which is a mean cut. I recall being a member of the Fianna Fáil Party at the time the former Ministers McCreevy and Coughlan were criticised for their dirty dozen cuts. This budget is worse; it contains 14 dirty cuts. The 100th anniversary of our State is in 2016. These are the dirtiest ever cuts introduced. People are already living in fuel poverty. There has been no assessment of how people will manage following these cuts. We all know that currently people are buying oil in five gallon drums but elderly people who do not have transport cannot do so. People are cold in their homes. When elderly people get cold they get ill and become unhealthy, ending up in hospital. Our hospitals are facing cuts of €640 million. This cut will result in our having more ill, nervous and unhealthy people.

The reduction in capitation grants is a body blow. I have visitors in the Gallery this evening, a sponsor group of the meals on wheels in Cahir town who work tirelessly with a small committee. There are two CE staff and many volunteers involved in that group. The group receives €1,500 per annum to pay for utilities such as phone and electricity and to purchase materials. It provides massive services to people in the town and rural areas. They are our enablers, our community drivers, the people doing the work despite that they do not have to do it. I salute them. I do not salute the Minister who is imposing a €1,000 cut in this area. This will result in discontinuance of the scheme. There are many CE schemes throughout the country. I am chairperson of one scheme. They are keeping this country going. They care for graveyards, provide meals on wheels and laundry services, visit the elderly and so on. I could go on for the day outlining the type of work they do, including the drugs initiatives in Dublin.

The reduction in the disability allowance must be the meanest and most shameful cut of all. How could the Government do this? The late Minister, Brian Lenihan, included this in his budget in 2009. Following discussion with him by former Deputy Connick, who is in a wheelchair, and five other Members, including myself, it was removed prior to the budget being presented. He must have left the proposal in the office, unfortunately, only for it to be picked up by a civil servant who placed it in this budget. It is a drastic and savage cut. I respect that some Fine Gael and Labour Party backbenchers have since seen sense.

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