Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The mansion tax is a phantom, a chimera and a shameless fig leaf to conceal the naked capitulation of the Labour Party to the demands of Fine Gael. How can a party that calls itself Labour and claims descent from Connolly and Larkin sign up to consecutive cuts to the clothing and footwear allowance? In addition, there have been cuts to the back-to-education allowance, respite care grant, jobseeker's benefit, household benefits for the poor and elderly and a trebling of prescription charges.

The latter is an invention of the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly. He was the man who proved that not only could Fine Gael not keep its pre-election promises, it could not keep its post-election promises either. After the election, I well recall Deputy Reilly saying that he intended to abolish the prescription charge. I do not take anything he says particularly seriously. He has proven that he is the man with the un-Midas touch. Everything Midas touched turned to gold, but everything Deputy Reilly touches turns to mould.

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