John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I listened with interest to Deputy Mathews. Of course, we need leadership and we need shared responsibility, but we also need fairness. Certainly, this household charge Bill is not based on fairness.

I support the amendments from this side of the House, particularly that from my colleague, Deputy Niall Collins, which calls for the exclusion of those who are on jobseeker's benefit, jobseeker's allowance, supplementary welfare allowance, family income supplement, farm assist, disability allowance, disablement benefit and blind pension and those who are not in a position to pay their mortgage.

We speak of ordinary persons on low incomes. There is something blatantly unfair with a system where there are millionaires and wealthy persons who will pay the €100 charge yet those on social welfare are asked to do the same. I live on an estate in Enniscorthy where probably half of the residents have lost their income from jobs in recent years, and yet they will be asked to pay €100 the same as myself or others in that estate who are working. That is a situation at which the Government Members on the far side of the House must look seriously. They must consider the exemptions we have asked for here. The backbenchers on the other side spoke much about fairness and equality, but certainly this household charge Bill is not in that area. I would ask the Minister to reconsider the situation and to look seriously at exempting those whom I have outlined.

On a daily basis, there are people coming into our clinics who are unable to pay their mortgage. Some are prepared to hand back their houses to the mortgage companies because they are not in a position to pay the mortgage, yet we are also asking these people, some of whom might be getting supplementary welfare allowance, to pay the €100 charge. This is also totally unfair and unwarranted. I would support the amendments from this side of the House.

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