David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

Like previous speakers, I welcome everybody back. Much has happened over the course of the summer months, not least the fact that more than €17 billion of taxpayers' money was put into the banks a number of weeks ago. At the same time as that money was put into the banks, I am sure I am not the only public representative present who has received phone calls from constituents and people in the locality outlining the difficulty they were having in receiving payment of the back to school allowance. Even those in receipt of the payment found it inadequate in meeting the needs of sending their children to education. I have also been contacted by young people who will not receive a grant and will be unable to do a third or fourth level course. I have previous experience of people who were very late in receiving their grants. In addition, there have been cuts in the areas of special needs and household benefits, all of which will impact on vulnerable people. All these have happened at a time when the Government took €17 billion of taxpayers' money to put into the banks.

A total of 575 jobs at TalkTalk in Waterford are now gone. I do not blame for the Government for those job losses; corporate greed is at the heart of that company's decision to let those workers go. Senator Bacik spoke about the disgraceful way in which those workers were treated by the company. Those workers and all those who have lost jobs want the Government to act and support them in their hour of need. That is why it is so important that the upcoming budget does not, for example, cut jobseeker's allowance and, instead, does something to help those workers pay their mortgages, with which they will have difficulty. Crucially, we must get those people back to work. The Government put in place a jobs initiative that has patently failed. We are losing jobs while creating very few new ones.