Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I am delighted to welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, to the House. I would first like to say that the Labour Party has no clout in this Government. I do not know what the Labour Party stands for, having listened to what its members in here had to say and in supporting the Government's budget. The major flaw in this budget is that its impact is not progressive and it is seriously socially regressive. The budget will further increase inequality in Irish society. On 30 November, the CSO published preliminary results of the 2010 survey on income and living conditions and its main findings were that people earning the most in 2010 received five times the income of those earning the lowest. This compares with a 4.3 differential the year earlier, and shows an increased income inequality in this country. Average disposable income per household decreased by 5%. The "at risk of poverty" rate was 15.8% in 2010, compared to 14.1% a year earlier.

This budget is anti-family, anti-women, attacks widows, is anti-rural dwellers, attacks pensioners, attacks disability payments, attacks employers, attacks higher education and attacks rural schools. There is no vision in the budget or no big ideas for employment. Unemployment is the elephant in the room with this Government. If I was a Minister in the Government, unemployment reduction would be my first priority. Everyone knows that the unemployment rate is currently 14.6%. Male unemployment is 17.3%, while unemployment among men aged 20-24 years is 32%. Every day, 110 people are leaving this country. We all know there has been a sharp increase in Irish nationals leaving, with around 40,000 people expected to emigrate this year.

Working families and families dependent on welfare will be the hardest hit. I hope the Labour Party Members present are listening to me. Let us take the example of a working family with four children. They will lose €430 on child benefit. They will pay at least €400 extra on VAT. They will pay €144 extra for the drug payment scheme. They will pay €100 for the household charge. They will pay a minimum of €100 for motor tax, excise duty and carbon tax. If they are fortunate enough to have private health insurance, the VHI has stated that a typical €3,000 premium will now cost at least an extra €1,000. In spite of what we have heard this evening, this typical working family will lose €2,176 next year, excluding increases in school transport charges.

I am amazed at the Labour Party. No wonder it is going down in the polls and no wonder we are gaining.