Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The clock has started and on it goes. This issue has been well rehearsed. As Deputy John Brady said, last December we put a motion before the House. I printed it again this evening. The main point made in it concerned the need to restore pension rates and bands to their pre-September 2012 position, which would deal with most of those who find themselves in this situation. I acknowledge and as the Government has stated that it would not deal with all of those affected. Despite all of its protestations, Fianna Fáil tabled an amendment to that motion. I also looked at that amendment and it did not mention anything about restoring rates to their pre-2012 position. However, the motion it has presented tonight states it wants the band changes made in 2012 to be reversed. Hallelujah, someone was on the road to Damascus and discovered that this needed to be done.

Deputy Willie O'Dea has made huge mileage out of this, saying Fianna Fáil always wanted to solve this problem. I understand the pressure is on. We have all met the women's groups which have been campaigning on this issue. I am sure the Government parties have done so also. The reality is that Fianna Fáil is the party in this House which has an arrangement with the Government through the confidence and supply agreement and it did nothing about it. What happened last December pre-dated the budget and it was before the announcement of t he budget that pressure needed to be put exerted. When we tabled the motion last December, Fianna Fáil buckled and resorted to type. It did not support it because it had not come from it. Now that it has seen the light because of the protestations of members of the public, it has decided that it wants to change the rates and bands back to the way they were pre-2012. We welcome this and support it, but it needs to be called for what it is. The reality is that it is a stunt. Fianna Fáil needs to stop the stunts and start living in reality.

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