Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

-----and then they try to compound it by suggesting they are not including people over 65. The Government is taking it from them by not giving them their Christmas bonus. It is an untruth to say that the Government is not hitting people over 65 as well as all the people I have mentioned. The Government is taking the Christmas bonus from them and hitting those people as well.

This is a savage social welfare Bill. I have been a Member of this House for seven years and we have never seen anything like what we are seeing here today. I challenge the Fianna Fáil Members who are trying to make the best out of a bad lot to vote against the carers who are helping their people to try to stay out of hospital and out of the nursing homes, which is supposed to be the policy of the other side of the House. I challenge them to vote against those people, the carers and the people who cannot see what is going on here. This is what the Government is doing and they could have done it so much better. They could have taxed the rich, taxed people earning above €30,000 a year and even those in the public service. Fine Gael proposed that anyone earning under €30,000 a year would not face a cut.

The Government has attacked the most vulnerable in the community. It is a shame that people are prepared to troop through the lobbies to attack the carers, the elderly and the most vulnerable people in our community, when they allowed the rich people to get away. The Government is protecting people who are bondholders and shareholders in banks but are putting people who are unemployed out on the road. That is the legacy of this Government and when the people come to vote at the next election, that is what they will remember. They will remember the people who put them out on the road, the people who taxed the blind and the elderly. This is the legacy of this Government and it is a shame if we see those people trooping through the lobbies to support this lame Government thinking it is the right thing to do. I refer to the likes of Deputy Paul Gogarty who says he does not agree with the Government but that he will vote with it. People are fed up with that hypocritical attitude but yet again I am sure we will see it tonight.