Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)

She got a job in her local crèche in September but needed to wait for Garda vetting to qualify. Her vetting only cleared yesterday. She was told that, once she had been vetted, she could start immediately, but FÁS has since told the crèche that she cannot start until January, meaning that she will lose her one-parent family benefit. This measure disproportionately hits the less well-off and is unfair, doubly so for the woman in question. Will the Minister reconsider it?

I need not go to great lengths to emphasise that many people will suffer badly due to this unfair budget. I do not accept the Government's argument that it is balanced, as the budget does not affect the rich as much as it affects the less well-off.

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