Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

The fact that Fianna Fáil sold out the country to the troika, bankrupted it and did equally disgusting things in the last budget does not in any way justify the Government's actions in continuing the same policies. We will not reach and properly scrutinise other sections of the Bill because the Government is ramming the legislation through. This is the most important Bill the Government has introduced since it took office because it is tangible, concrete and will affect huge numbers of ordinary families, yet it is being rammed through. We spent days talking about stuff which, frankly, was of marginal importance to the majority of people, yet when it comes to something which matters to tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of low and middle income families, lone parents, the elderly and children, legislation is rammed through and we are not given a chance to discuss it. The income disregard, the qualified child increase and the transitional payment will hit people struggling out of poverty traps if they exceed certain earnings. Is there an easier and fairer way to do this that would address the question of high income earners? The Minister for Finance could do it. If the Government taxed incomes of more than €100,000 at a higher level it would not need to hit struggling families. The Minister for Social Protection could have done something via this Bill. Why not increase PRSI on earnings of more than €100,000?

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