Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

I am alarmed to hear the Leas-Chathaoirleach say the debate could be curtailed at 5 p.m. I agree with Senator Gilroy, as I have done many times, that constructive comments on this are very useful for the Minister and the Cabinet. Our comments will be of assistance to her in future difficulties and if the debate on the Bill is guillotined, it would be a disgrace and a shame on those who proposed the guillotine.

I have not spoken on the Bill before now. I do not envy the Minister her job, which is difficult. The correction that must be made in our fiscal position is enormous. I do not know the Minister very well but from my observations I regard her as fair and she approaches issues by trying to come to a fair conclusion. Having said that, I have great difficulty with some provisions. We are all informed to some extent by our own experiences in life and as somebody reared on the widow's pension and the children's allowance, I know how important they are. Any reductions would have imposed difficulties for our family and others will find themselves in similar circumstances. I was not here for the debate on earlier sections but I was appalled to hear about the increase in qualifications for the widow's contributory pension from 156 to 520 contributions.