Results 20,241-20,260 of 24,340 for speaker:Jerry Buttimer

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed) (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: The Government did not take the ball. It did not have the bottle. It took the least difficult option.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed) (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: I am not in Government but Deputy Lenihan is. He is making the decisions.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed) (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: The Government said there would be political reform but it did not do it; it funked it. The Government picks on the most needy, the people on the minimum wage, and then it goes after retired public servants. The litmus test of this budget is that it was not pro-jobs nor did it protect the most vulnerable and there was no stimulus plan. The Government made a complete hames of political reform.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed) (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: There was no difference between the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed) (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: Fianna Fáil killed of the Progressive Democrats and it has the Green Party nearly buried.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed) (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: The new Robin Hood.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed) (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: Are the members of the Green Party leaving government or are they still in government? Where are they gone?

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: I will be brief. The Minister said in his statement that he had empathy for the people who have no capacity to work. If one takes that statement to its logical next step then every person who is not able to work should be able to get the full allowance. The Minister did not revert to me about tackling the issue of fraud.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: I said they should get the full allowance. There should be no cuts for people who cannot work in whatever capacity.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: I think we do. The Minister referred in his contribution to people on disability allowance, the blind person's pension and invalidity pension.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: I am referring to those who have no capacity to work. The Minister spoke about activation measures but there are people who genuinely cannot work and they should not face any difficulty in receiving the disability allowance, but they are. The Minister spoke about work participation activation measures. At the height of the Celtic tiger era, the boom did not create a huge surge in work...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: How many quotas have been met in the public service?

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: I know, but my question is important.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: The Minister of State, Deputy Mary White, is a member of a political party and understands the concept of being in partnership. This is the most callous section of the Bill as in it a cut is imposed on carers. A carer is someone who looks after, protects and minds people. If the Minister of State is talking about social justice, how can she justify this section which penalises carers?...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: -----or they are not down in the hair-dressing salon getting their nails varnished. These are ordinary persons who are honest-to-God citizens who are struggling. I challenge the Minister of State, Deputy White, and her colleagues in Government to come out on to the streets and to the townlands to meet those who are struggling. It is all fine and dandy to state we must do so much. There is...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: That is extraordinary.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: Let us call a spade a spade here. Let us look at what Inclusion Ireland, which is not a political body, stated. The measures in the budget means those on disability allowances are down €847.60 a year since 2008. I refer to those on disability allowance and on the carer's allowance. Whether the Minister likes it, he is attacking the living standards of the people who need the most. In...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: The Minister referred to the 40% of expenditure by his Department. I understand he has to make savings and I support him in his agenda for reform. However, what upsets me most about this budget is its failure to put social justice at its core. The Minister spoke about fraud. Last year, his predecessor as Minister, Deputy Hanafin, was going to be the white horse in her Department. She set...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: Excuse me, she was the lady of the manor sitting on the horse. As Senator McFadden noted, the problem with respite care is the limited number of places. I know people in Cork who can only get a week of respite care here and there. Senator McDonald spoke about the Government's social conscience but where is it to be found in this section? The Minister noted that the State is great at paying...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2010)

Jerry Buttimer: I am, and I apologise. If we are talking about the vulnerable, this part of the Bill should not be passed. The Minister should reconsider it. We have shown in our document that it can be done differently.