James Bannon (Fine Gael)

Fianna Fáil always pretended that it looked after the youth of our country. That pretence is now seen as a lie on the part of Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats. The crèche supplement for child care has been discontinued. This is a severe attack on working class mothers and poorer children in our society. It is a shame and a disgrace that this is being done by the two parties that pretended they always looked after the least well-off in society. They have now let them down in a very big way.

The Government is suggesting that disability and unemployment benefits will be done away with entirely. Local authorities throughout the country are cash starved. Funding for disabled persons and essential repairs grants ran out in most local authorities last September. There is no special aid for elderly people in the budgets of the health boards. My health board has been forced to cut essential services in some of the hospitals in the region. However, the Midland Health Board is not the only one facing these difficulties; others are also feeling the effects of the cutbacks. Senator Jim Walsh is not listening to the people and that was evident in his contribution earlier.