Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Of all the issues in the budget, this is the harshest. By bringing in this measure the Government is attacking the most vulnerable, the elderly in our society. This week alone we helped three elderly people who called to my office in Galway to fill out an application for the bereavement grant, and it was stressful and difficult for them to do that.

The average bill for a basic funeral in Galway is between €3,000 and €4,000. The cost of one funeral was €3,854 and this grant meant a great deal to the family. In one case I dealt with recently I had to contact the undertaker to ask if they would arrange a staged payment scheme for the family and the undertaker agreed to that. Such payment arrangements are now being made. This grant means a great deal to families who could not even afford to pay for a cup of tea for people after the funeral.

As my colleague, Deputy O'Dea said, I am sure there are areas in the Minister's Department or in other Departments where the savings that will be achieved from the abolition of this grant could be found. I presume the decision to make these harsh cuts was forced on the Minster by her Cabinet colleagues. The savings that will be achieved from this measure should be found somewhere else. I ask the Minister not to hit the most vulnerable, the people who built this State, who put us where we are now and worked hard all their lives but who now unfortunately find themselves in a situation where they do not have any money saved. They are living basically on what money they get and find that when their husband or wife dies, or even a son or a daughter in some cases, they do not have the money to pay for their funeral. I ask the Minister to reverse this decision.

I am disappointed to note that none of the Minister's colleagues from the Labour Party or Fine Gael - bar one - is sitting alongside her to support her.

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