Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)

Deputy Griffin and the Minister of State should be ashamed of themselves coming in here and standing over and imposing this charge on people who are struggling on a daily basis. How can they defend the indefensible, because that is what everyone on that side of the House is trying to do? It is an absolute disgrace.

Deputy Griffin, the Minister of State and I know people in our constituencies who cannot put food on the table. I have a letter, which was sent to Deputy Adams's office and which was sent to the Taoiseach, from people who were unable to pay their mortgage or feed their children. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul had to intervene to help them. These people are being forced to pay the €100 charge.

The Minister of State is an absolute disgrace. She is supposed to be a socialist and protect the legacy of James Connolly, but she has disgraced it. The Labour Party promised everything and said it would not be Frankfurt's way but the Labour Party's way. We now know the Labour Party's way. It is to penalise the poor and victimise the people most repressed in our society. It is an absolute disgrace.

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