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

The measures contained in the Bill and the manner in which it is being rammed through the Oireachtas comprise a litany of broken promises. I cannot refer to the Bill without mentioning the guillotine. In the Government parties' election manifestoes, they committed to changing the guillotine. Under the programme for Government, they were to tackle the significant overuse of guillotines to ram through legislation. Instead, 64% of Bills have been rammed through the Dáil in this way. So much for curtailing the use of the guillotine except in emergency situations, as promised.

The Minister has no mandate to use the guillotine in this situation, but neither has she a mandate to implement the Bill's measures. Remember the 2011 general election and the cries about burning bondholders, not another cent for the banks, Labour's way, not Frankfurt's way, and how Labour would protect the vulnerable? Remember the infamous Tesco advertisement guaranteeing that child benefit would not be touched? All of those promises have been broken in this Bill or in previous budgets.

Dishonesty is destroying our political system, its reputation and politicians. It erodes confidence in the integrity of democracy. The responsibility for changing this situation lies with us all, but particularly with Ministers, the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach. Surely, the Minister should make a start by withdrawing this scurrilous legislation, which is an attack on social welfare recipients. It will affect people from the cradle to the grave.

I referred to the Tesco advertisement. Child benefit was slashed last year and has been slashed again this year. On 1 January, child benefit payments in respect of the fourth and subsequent children will be cut. This is another broken promise.

Core welfare rates for people under 26 years of age are being attacked. John B. Keane wrote a play called "Many Young Men of Twenty Said Goodbye", but he did not know the half of it. Thousands of young men and women have been forced by the deliberate actions of this Government to seek work and lives outside this country.

The Bill imposes a significant cut to maternity benefit of up to €32 per week. This is a serious and vicious attack on young mothers. Illness benefit will be cut, in that none will be paid for the first six days. This represents a cut of more than €100 per individual. When one reaches 65 years of age, the invalidity pension that one receives will remain at €193.50 instead of increasing to €230.30. The rent allowance and mortgage interest supplement will either be cut or, in the case of new supplement applications, stopped completely. Older applications will be wiped out over four years.

The most despicable and saddest cut of all in this budget is to the bereavement grant. The most dishonest statement from the Minister and her colleagues is that one can go to a community welfare officer at the Department of Social Protection and get it there. The Minister knows she has also cut the exceptional needs payments this year, so there is no hope of getting the grant from community welfare officers.

I am absolutely opposed to this Bill.

See this speech in context