Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)

Last year, Deputy Joan Burton was rightly indignant in her response to the budget. She said:

I dare say the Minister must be aware that people with children took the biggest cuts this year and last year. Let us remember, child benefit is paid almost universally to women. I suppose that is a comment on how few women are Members of this House and what little political power women exercise compared to bankers. The Minister always says yes to bankers, but in his different budgets, he always finds it difficult to make payments in respect of children.

The Minister is hypocritical, as she has cut child benefit again this year. I call on her to reverse those cuts and not only to review the disability allowance cuts, but to reverse them also.

I wish to refer to the community employment schemes. These schemes are hugely advantageous to communities throughout the country and in every town, village and city. They are now at risk and many of them have collapsed because of the cuts, from €1,500 to €500 for the materials, maintenance and training grants. These schemes support disability services, meals on wheels, child care services, tidy towns and sports centres all over the country. The Minister must reverse these cuts. She should equally reverse the cuts to lone parents, widows and widowers and recipients of disability allowance who participate in those schemes. They will see huge cuts in their income as a result of this budget.

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