Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Deputy should not constantly be saying "cutbacks". This is about using the scarce public resources to the best effect to ensure the money we spend on people who are in need goes to those with the greatest need for it. From time to time it is necessary to change the way in which those moneys are spent to ensure they go to those in the greatest need. Nobody can argue that rules that are 17 years old need to be updated to reflect the times in which we are living so that those who are in the greatest need get the benefit from the exceptional needs payments.

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