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

The performance of the Government since coming into office has been and continues to be disgraceful. It consists of a litany of broken promises and betrayal of the trust of the electorate. It has conducted its campaign with false promises that it has since betrayed. It has also betrayed the promise not to continue with the failed policies of Fianna Fáil. Unfortunately the Government continues on that path.

The Government has no mandate to punish or pauperise ordinary working-class people and the less well off.

Nor has it the mandate to continue the failed policies of Fianna Fáil. The onslaught on unfortunate people dependent on State support and those organisations which deliver the support services to these people, which incidentally saves the taxpayer millions each year, are not on the Government's radar. The Government's actions confirm Fine Gael and Labour have an agenda against the less well-off. Whichever party is responsible for it, both parties are complicit by the fact they continue to penalise people with disabilities, students and families.

Along with all other sectors of the community, farmers were also negatively impacted by the budget. Among the areas where the axe fell were the disadvantaged area scheme, the sheep grassland payment and the suckler cow welfare scheme, as well as cuts to farm assist. These cuts will penalise less well-off farmers.

I wish to read into the record correspondence I, along with every other Member, received today, particularly for the attention of the Ministers opposite, Deputies Howlin and Varadkar and the Minister of State, Deputy O' Dowd. The e-mail states:

My name is X and l am a lone parent, full-time minder to my two young daughters, Sarah, 12, years old and Amy, 15, years old. I am a former civil servant, retired early on health grounds and on a very small pension. Amy suffers with chronic complex congenital heart disease, is attending Crumlin for haematology services, dermatology services and specific dental services. Amy has also developed amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis, which at the moment, means fortnightly checks by the endocrinology team.


I would not know where to begin to try and describe to you what a day in the life of this household is like. Amy has had five open heart surgeries and 32 other surgical interventions, countless trips up and down to Crumlin. She has had two tours of duty in Southampton General Hospital lasting 2 months each, where they saved her life on several occasions. The HSE responded with a €1,000 grant to cover our costs, which ran in excess of €15,000. We have even spent Christmas Day in Crumlin, a memorable affair thanks to the staff of St. Brigid's ward.


I will not get started on the HSE. They recently "lost" four completed application forms for Amy's medical card which was due for renewal in February this year. Amy's medical card was issued in May this year and is valid only to February 2013, whereby the whole game starts all over again. The absence of bad language in the last three lines is nothing short of miraculous.


So what is Santa bringing Amy and Sarah [me] this year: a reduction in child allowance; annual respite care grant reduced from €1,700 to €1,375; car tax increase; a reduction in the household benefits package; local property tax; prescription charges tripled; the threshold for the drugs payment scheme increased.

All of this is happening on the Minister's watch. You are responsible for Amy's well-being and her life. Your Government and those Members opposite who support it are directly responsible for what has happened in this case.

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