David Norris (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State who is from my part of the world. I know him to be a decent and courageous man. I was in the church in Westland Row when he stood up. His name, John Moloney, did not mean anything but when people heard the words "Fianna Fáil", a palpable wave of anger travelled down the church. I have never experienced anything like it. The reason for that was not personal culpability but because the Government did not listen. Unfortunately, people will not now listen to it.

Nobody is denying we are in a very serious financial situation. That is a given. This side of the House was challenged by Senator Boyle who is an exceptionally decent man. He asked what changes we would make and what would we do. I would not have started with the sick, the disabled and the elderly. They should not be the first targets but the very last ones. This will have a real impact on the disabled, in particular.

I am an Independent Senator and vote on the merits of a case. The Labour Party motion was clear, precise and factual but the Government's amendment was the usual self-congratulatory waffle. If one was to accept the Minister of State's contribution together with the amendment, one would be persuaded that the Government was doing disabled people a favour and that they were better off. It is a kind of mad mathematical conjuring trick.

A piece of advice I would give is to take up Senator Joe O'Toole's offer. He made a fantastic and passionate contribution. He knew what he was talking about and I know the Minister of State discusses issues with him. He said he could produce budget neutral cuts which would have the same effect. The Minister of State should discuss this with him. If he wants to know what to do, that is one bloody good idea.

The number of people involved is enormous — some 393,785. It is almost 10% of the population. We have done a good job in improving their situation but it is awful to give people a gift and then snatch it away. The disappointment is reduplicated by that. I attended a briefing a fortnight ago by the Disability Federation of Ireland. It was already complaining and asked that the Minister give back the stolen €85 million, that is, the money diverted by the HSE. The Minister of State addressed part of this issue courageously.

A total of €10 million has been provided in additional funding but there is a 1% cut across the board. Again, it is a case of taking and giving at the same time. There is a 2.1% increase in the application. A sizable proportion of that should go towards stabilising the position for the disabled. We need to reinstate the diverted funds I mentioned and put in place proper mechanisms. I will mention a couple of figures to make it clear that what I raise is factual. The Central Statistics Office states that the weekly allowance for disability for 2008 was €197.80. I will supply the Minister of State with the figures directly. There is no doubt there is a significant decrease. Taking into account all the creative mathematics there will be a loss of €13,000 to €14,000 over a two year period.

I want to put a human face on this. The chairman of the Donegal Down's Syndrome Association illustrated that as a result of the budget the qualifying age for disability allowance was being raised from 16 to 18, and he would loose €13,000 over two years. It is cynical to argue that it is to encourage them to go out and get a job. Some of these people are profoundly disabled. It is an appalling comment and should be withdrawn. Another man, whose daughter had Down's Syndrome, stated that when she passed away last year at the age of 26, he was refused a bereavement grant on the grounds that she had no record of employment, and therefore had no entitlements. If people are profoundly disabled and cannot take up employment, they will be punished twice.

We think these people can be exported out into a world where competition reigns, capitalism is supreme and nobody gives a tuppenny damn. Margaret Thatcher came right in the end. We have an economy and not a society.