Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)

It was not so long ago that the Government was promising to break away from the old and begin a new politics. Reform, transparency and fairness were the talk of the day, and we all know how that has worked out. While the extravagant pay rates for special advisers are constantly breaching the pay cap, cuts to social welfare payments and indirect taxes have ravaged the low-income people of this country. Jobs are as sparse now as they ever were, while more and more people are being forced to emigrate to make a living.

It seems the poor are becoming poorer while the rich just keep getting richer. In fact, the gap between rich and poor in Ireland is constantly widening, with disposable income for the least well off falling by over 18% while income for the most well off has increased by over 4%. The top 10% of the population receives almost 14 times more disposable income than the poorest 10%. Surely the Taoiseach will agree there is something profoundly wrong in that.

We also have a situation in which, as a result of the reduced rates of social welfare payments, young people who are made homeless are left trapped in emergency accommodation because they cannot get the assistance that will allow them to make a life for themselves. This could be easily resolved, and addressing it would actually reduce the cost to the State rather than costing money. This is yet another group which has been failed by the Government as a result of its attack on the vulnerable. It is clear from this that the Taoiseach and his Government continue to make questionable decisions that result in a lopsided distribution of wealth when so many people are struggling on low incomes to make ends meet. As we move into the budget preparation season, will the Taoiseach pledge that the upcoming budget will not include further cuts for those who have suffered so much already? Will he commit to equality-proofing the budget measures to determine their impact on people on very low incomes?

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