Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)

Fianna Fáil was once known as the workers' party; Fine Gael was once known as the farmers' party. Both parties have turned their back on the hard-working people who supported them and put them back into this House. They put the two fingers up to them and told them, "We don't care." Constituents voted for those parties or voted for me and I work for all of them. I work for everyone. I do not differentiate between parties and non-parties. They are coming to me now - these are people in their 70s, grass roots of parties - and they say, "Richard, what has gone wrong with this Government? Our children and our grandchildren are going to pay the price for this Government."

I will take the Minister of State back to 2011. The universal social charge, USC, was introduced as part of the then Government's effort to stabilise finances during an economic downturn. The USC is a tax payable on total income. It was said at the time it was a temporary measure. It is a bit like everything else in here. The guidelines for wind turbines were temporary but we were told we would get there. That was in 2006. In 2011, another temporary measure was brought in. That was 14 years ago.

What is a universal charge? The universal social charge is a tax that applies to most types of income, including wages, salary, bonuses, pensions and self-employment income. USC is calculated based on gross income before any deductions or exemptions are applied. So what did the Government do in the budget? Do its members think the people of this country are fools? It lowered the USC, which to me is illegal because the Government told people it was a temporary charge. It also froze taxes. There was no movement up in the tax brackets. What did it do? It took it from one side and put it on the other side.

The Irish Independent says this today: married couples with three children are less well-off today; married couples with one child are less well-off today, cohabitating couples are less well-off today; single mothers with one child are less well-off today; and single renters in high-income jobs are less well-off today. I will read something from a person who emailed me today:

I am a nurse. I'm in full time, 37.5 hours a week and whatever overtime I can get. My husband is a bus driver and works full time, 40 hours per week. We have been discussing that one of us needs to get a second job due to the rising costs of everything. After this budget, both of us need a second job. We have two children. Our eldest son deferred his college as we couldn't afford his fees and keep him supported, and now he has moved to Australia. I can't see the future for him to return home. Our youngest son will probably follow him in the next few years because the same thing. They see how hard their parents work and that they have nothing left over at the end of the month for a treat.

They are front-line service workers. Regardless of what sector they are in, the people of this country wear their heart on their sleeve. They work tirelessly in every sector, from low income to high income. They work hard and they pay taxes for the less well-off and the vulnerable. They have never seen one reward from this Government. This is coming from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael supporters who were looking for them to lead but history repeats itself over and over.

What is a sign of madness? If I keep doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result, it is a sign of madness. I ask the people who have supported Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for years to please, for their children's sake and their grandchildren's sake, stop supporting them. They are making the same mistakes over and over: no accountability and money being wasted time and again.

Hard-working people, hard-working companies and the self-employed in this country, if they do one thing wrong they are penalised because there is accountability. They have to make profit to stay open and to pay for their employees who work for them because they want to support their families. Our Government and Departments waste money hand over fist and there has never been accountability. I ask supporters of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to please not support this Government any more. If they do, their children and grandchildren will not have a future.

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