Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

On section 3, I highlight again the difficulty any Minister for Social Protection would have but which the Minister, in particular, had in framing the budget. Anybody who has worked in the Third World could not but have been scarred by the experience and this obviously influences her entire philosophy in trying to help those who are most vulnerable in society, but the point has been made and will be made throughout this debate that there are alternatives available. This remains an exceptionally wealthy country. I seek clarification and perhaps a reasoning as to why the Minister saw fit to change and redefine the criteria applied to disability allowance. My colleague will elaborate on this issue, but I understand there is a change from the broader definition of "substantially restricted". The changes appear to remove a gradient pay scale. Department estimates that some 1,000 people per annum will not qualify under the changed system. The changes will affect new applicants. The Minister might clarify why it was considered necessary to seek these changes. How much will be saved?

I will make three brief points. First, I concede that one of the mistakes — I am qualifying the use of the word "mistakes" — made by previous Fianna Fáil Administrations from 2002 to 2009 was that as the Celtic tiger roared — the Minister quoted a figure which the former Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Eamon Ó Cuív, quoted to us at party level and publicly during his time as Minister and subsequent to the general election — the social welfare spend increased by almost 300%, at a time when the rate of inflation was running at only 30%. I thought it was only 13%, but I read that it was actually 30%.