This amendment deals with the failure by the Government to deal with national anti-poverty strategy promises. A paper submitted to the tax strategy group by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs sets out promises made by the Government in An Agreed Programme for Government and in the national anti-poverty strategy. The Government then calculated what increases in social welfare rates would be required to meet these commitments. To meet the NAPS target, the lowest rate of social welfare should have been increased by €10.10 to make it €15.40. To meet a PPF commitment, an increase of €8.70 would have been required, and an increase of €6 was granted. To meet the old age pension commitments, an increase of €13.20 weekly was required; only €10 was granted. The Government also campaigned on a promise to increase child benefit by €31.59 monthly; instead it delivered €8. The commitments in the programme for Government and the NAPS were to be achieved by 2007 and the argument could be made by the Government that there is time to catch up. The figures I have given represent an abject failure.