Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Taoiseach realises that cuts to the invalidity pension for those under 65 and those over 65 with qualified adult dependants will range from between €3,500 and €5,500. That is a huge wallop for those families. There is a refrain in the cuts to maternity benefit rates. First, the Government taxed maternity benefit and then it cut it. It is clear the Government's commitment to children is wafer thin.

However, this is not all the Government has done; it has also cut the adoptive benefit. One does not have to be a genius to figure out that these cuts will have a real impact on families and new parents, many of whom are struggling badly, as we have already heard. So much for the touchy-feely governmental approach to children and their parents.

The Government's attitude to people who find themselves reliant on a welfare payment stinks. If one imagines for a second that people are living it up on a payment of €188 per week, for example, one is mistaken. I challenge every Member, including the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, to give it a try and see how they would get by on such a small amount. Perhaps what is needed is a little dose of reality, a little taste of what it means not only to count the euro but also the cent, day on day, week on week. Perhaps that would soften the Government's cough and perhaps its Economic Management Council would take a very different view on how the Government analyses these matters and the decisions it takes budget on budget.

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