Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

Elderly people have been targeted with significant and savage cutbacks in recent budgets. These various schemes pertaining to heating units, free fuel, mobility allowance, respite care grant and so on are the little things that made life bearable for elderly people. They are the very things that Margaret Thatcher targeted when she came to power in England and, unfortunately, it now appears as though the Government, the Department of Social Protection and its Minister are following in the footsteps of Thatcher in reducing these little things that make life bearable for elderly people. I ask the Minister to have some compassion. She has the money, as it is available from the promissory notes and from high earners.

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