David Norris (Independent)

I agree very much with the issues raised by Senator Bacik, some of which I mentioned during my contribution to Second Stage. Whatever about the percentages involved, the human impact on the lower paid could be devastating and unmanageable. In many cases, money may not be available to fund this for people at the severest of margins. I instanced the case of a decent woman, a civil servant, who, through no fault of her own, is separated and, therefore, does not have the support of a second income in the household. She approached the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, received advice and implemented it thoroughly, honourably and completely, but now she has been knocked back. She cannot budget. These are the people who are being pinched. If one wants to know if the foot hurts, one asks the foot, not the boot. The Minister of State is the boot in this instance and the boot has been put into the lowest paid in a disproportionate manner, even though the percentages may mask that.

The emergency nature of this measure is addressed by the amendment and it was appropriate for the Labour Party to table it. When does an emergency end? Emergency legislation tends to linger about the place and we have long experience of that. Emergency legislation introduced during the Second World War is still on the Statute Book 60 years later. Without a review clause, we might well be stuck with this measure for 60 years. If the Government parties want to do this, they should not parade the levy as an emergency measure with a suggestion that it will be limited and then resist putting a limitation on it. I understand the temptation. It is similar to the temptation which President Obama has not significantly shown himself capable of resisting. When a government or an authority acquires increased powers, there is a temptation never to yield them and it is significant the president has not repealed completely the powers of rendition. When the Government acquires the capacity to squeeze money out of people, it is quite a job to get it back.

I like the idea of a sunset clause. It is a nice name and it is appropriate. We are to a certain extent on Sunset Boulevard as far as the economy is concerned and the Government parties are singing the blues — "I hate to see the evening sun go down".