Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Taoiseach as ucht an mhéid a bhí le rá aige. However, the Taoiseach still is not getting it in respect of na daoine go léir atá ag obair. They are waiting and tá siad go léir ag léamh na nuachtáin. Members are giving it time and no Member on this side of this House is being reckless with regard to this agreement. However, there is no justification and one cannot, either as Gaeilge no i mBéarla, equate a 10% cut on a person earning €150,000 with a 5% cut on a person earning €40,000 to €50,000 nor can one suggest it is fair. Sin rud an-dána ar fad. One cannot justify that in any tír nó i dteanga ar bith. Is it fair to those people on the front line, such as na gardaí agus na banaltraí a oibríonn go crua gach lá? They are out on the front line and are being singled out by some Ministers who have stated that even though they left the talks, they are not being "penalised". However, they are being penalised, victimised and singled out. Moreover, one should be clear that the representative body of members of An Garda Síochána, namely, the Garda Representative Association, was not and cannot be invited. It can only be a fairy godmother at the talks waiting from the crumbs ón tábla. That is all it can be as it cannot be involved. As all Members are aware of and understand this point, one should be fair and should acknowledge that gardaí are being treated unjustly in this regard. They are the people who are needed to keep that líne beag which separates this country from anarchy, and one can see the impact this is having.

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