Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)

The Government has no heart. It does not even have a veneer of cherishing all the children of the nation equally. If one cannot pay, one faces the full rigours of the law. Ordinary law-abiding citizens who do not pay or who cannot afford to pay face the trauma of being dragged through the courts and facing a fine of up to €2,500. If one cannot afford the household charge of €100, one is criminalised and faces fines of €2,500. This make no sense. At the current level of non-payment, which, according to the Government figures, is at 43% in my constituency of Laoighis-Offaly, the Government will have to drag hundreds of thousands of citizens to court, prosecute them and fine them for the sake of €100. Shame on the Government for doing so.

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