David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

This section deals with the cuts in child benefit. One of the parties in government made a very clear pre-election promise not to cut child benefit. This needs to be stated because when people go to vote into the polling booth, they vote on the basis of what they have heard from politicians and parties. While voters do not accept everything parties state, when politicians said this was a red line issue for them and that there would not be cuts in child benefit, many voters would have said: "I trust the Labour Party on this." This is one of a number of issues on which its members said there would not be any changes, yet the people have seen them. That has angered many of those who voted for the party, especially when cuts in child benefit were announced.

The Government has gone to great lengths in recent weeks to state this is about making sure all children are equal. That is nonsense because what it has done is cut child benefit for families which need the payment. It was a small increase for the third and subsequent children and it was a necessary payment for families. Whatever way the Minister wants to spin it, the cut made in the budget will impact on many low income families. We have discussed all of the other amendments which will affect lone parents, carers, people with disabilities, those in receipt of invalidity pension and so on. However, this cut will affect many families and mean a net decrease in the income of low income families and people who are out of work.

I want to cite for the Minister a number of quotes made. Mr. Fergus Finlay from——