Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I thank People Before Profit-Solidarity for bringing this very important motion before the House.

It is so important. If the Minister of State, Deputy English, does not realise it or if the Government does not realise it, there is a serious crisis going on in our country at present. It is the crisis of the people who are working and who have a job, but who are finding it awfully difficult to live. They really are finding it difficult to live.

That is why last night I nearly went out the window when I saw the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on the television. I will not say he was smiling, but he was grinning. It was very hard to take and I will tell the Minister of State why. The Minister was grinning with delight he was so happy announcing the grants to insulate people's homes. You would say that is laudable and great. Could the Minister of State explain to me and to those who cannot fill the oil tank and who is finding it difficult to pay their ESB where they are supposed to come up with the difference between €55,000 to do the job on their house and €25,000 of a grant? It sounds great that the Government is giving €25,000 of a grant to do €50,000 or €55,000 worth of work, and the Minister was grinning about it that this was great. The Minister was ecstatic. He was out of his mind with delight announcing this. Will the Minister of State explain it to those people who find it so hard to pay for their messages at the end of the week, to pay for childcare, to pay for education, to buy clothes and to run the car? I am talking about people about people who are in work who are finding it so hard at present and I, truthfully, believe that the Government does not realise that. Maybe they are waking up now and just realising it, but it is as if this is a new problem. I think today of people such as the Debenhams workers who were treated so badly and who camped outside in Tralee fighting for what I would call their workers' rights.

People are being wronged. People who are going to work are being wronged and I believe the Government is leaving all those people behind. All the Government is doing is heaping further tax and further tax upon them and hurting them more and more and that is wrong.

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