Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome the opportunity to contribute to the Second Stage debate on the Bill. However, like other speakers I am annoyed at the amount of time allocated in this regard. I know the Minister, Deputy Burton, means well and that her job is a difficult one. Not only is she under attack from her Fine Gael colleagues, but she is also under attack from her Labour Cabinet colleagues. It is only right and proper that some of her back bench colleagues are here tonight to support her.

While the Minister is doing the best she can under the circumstances, what is proposed in this Bill is a mean attack on people from the cradle to the grave. This Bill provides for a cut in maternity benefit from €262 to €230 per week, which is a €32 reduction. The Government has abolished the air travel tax and has imposed an exit tax, in the form of the withdrawal of the bereavement grant, on people when they die, the very people who worked for and built up this country. If the Government had its way, it would leave them unburied. Last year, the rate of tax payable on a hearse was increased. The next thing to be taxed by this Government will be the trough. Little did I think it would tax a corpse, which is what it is doing by abolishing the bereavement grant. This is a scandalous attack on families and others who need that grant.

As stated by other speakers, despite the fact that this Bill does not come into force until 1 January 2014, debate on it has been guillotined. The Opposition does not even have time to table amendments and even if it did there would be no time to debate them because of the guillotine. Is this Government reform? The Government is standing on the ordinary people. Where were the Taoiseach, Deputy Kenny, and the Tánaiste, Deputy Gilmore, last Tuesday when there were 10,000 elderly people - the grey vote - outside this House protesting? I was outside five years ago when the elderly people were protesting, at which time then Deputies Kenny and Gilmore could not wait to get up on the lorry to address the people and make promises to them. They have demeaned politics and let the people down. This Government obtained its mandate from the people on false promises. It should be ashamed. This is the reason for its low rating in the polls.

This Bill also provides for the abolition of the €9.50 per month telephone allowance. Community Alert, Neighbourhood Watch, the Department of Social Protection and other Departments have invested hugely in the installation of telephones in people's houses. Often, telephones provide the only contact elderly people have with the outside world. Abolition of this allowance will result in many of their telephones being disconnected, thus all the investment has been a waste. It is a false economy. Without their telephones elderly people will be nervous, frightened and lonelier. Many of them will end up in hospitals.

The reduction in jobseeker's benefit for under 25s is particularly mean. I do not accept that, as stated by the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, they are all watching flat screen televisions. The young people with whom I deal - I have some myself - are interested in educating themselves and getting a job. They are not interested in lying around doing nothing. Reference was made to the Government's efforts to decrease dole queues. All that is happening is that young people are being forced to participate in all types of Mickey Mouse schemes and internships, in respect of which they are being abused. This proposed cut is a savage attack on young people, many of whom are living at home with parents who cannot afford to keep them having put them through college and so on. This is the meanest cut of all. I call on the Minister to reverse it.

On the evening after the budget was announced members of Young Labour who were outside Leinster House, some of whom are from my constituency, said they believed this was a terrible attack on young people and future generations. This is another attack on families who are already struggling with mortgages, many of whom are in negative equity. These people are only hanging on by their fingertips yet the Government has reduced the mortgage interest supplement for new applicants. It has also made technical changes in respect of invalidity pensions. The Government has made three attempts to cut disability benefits. As I have previously said in this House, I do not know if it is the desire of the mandarins that these people be attacked or if it is because of a lack of compassion and empathy for people with disabilities that this Government continues to attack them when they should be supporting them. This is the fourth attack on them in about 13 months. The Government should be ashamed.

I note also that the minimum contribution in respect of the rent supplement is to be increased. We are hearing all the time that people are finding it impossible to access accommodation in Dublin. There are numerous homeless people on the streets throughout the country. This cut must also be reversed. Child benefit in respect of third children is also be to cut and mortgage interest relief is to be phased out, which is mean given people are dependent on it to survive. The RTE subsidy for OAP television licences is to be reduced by €5 million. Why not make that organisation make cuts? Why impose cuts on elderly people who like to watch television, although not political broadcasts by the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, who said recently that people should never take any notice of promises made at election time, which is outrageous? Elderly people like to watch educational programmes.

I wish I had more time. I object to the guillotining of this Bill. It is scandalous. When in opposition, Government members objected profoundly to guillotines. This Government is now the master in that regard. It is guillotining all legislation. The Government's proposed taxing of people on death is shameful.

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