Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Deputies from that party who have gone on radio and television in recent days apparently believe they are Ministers-elect and want to force an election as soon as possible. It is a pity they were not so eager to act in the immediate wake of the most recent election. They chose instead to prioritise political opportunism over the national interest. Those of us on this side of the House acted and worked in collaboration, in the face of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, to form the stable Government the country needed.

Sinn Féin Deputies lambast our housing policy but vote against projects all over the country that will deliver social and affordable housing to people. Deputy McDonald referred to the clothing and footwear increases announced by the Government last week as half measures. Under the scheme, we are paying a rate of €260 to the parents of eligible primary pupils and €385 in the case of post-primary pupils. Meanwhile, in the North, where her party sets the rate, having been in power in 2007, it is giving out less than half measures, with payments of £42.90 for primary school pupils and a maximum of £67.20 for a post-primary pupil.

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