Mary White (Fianna Fail)

When the household charge was announced, Fianna Fáil fully agreed that it was necessary to raise taxation, but the Government has given appalling leadership on the issue. It was unclear from the start how the charge was going to be collected and what would be done with the money raised. This issue has been raised in the public domain, but my concern relates to what the Government is doing behind the scenes. Is there incompetence? On the DEIS schools issue, we had the debacle of the Minister being obliged to row back on the changes announced. Did he ever visit a DEIS school?

Senator John Kelly was very logical. Fianna Fáil agrees that the deadline for payment of the household charge should be extended. Ministers are now saying the matter has been mishandled. The Minister of State, Deputy Lucinda Creighton, has said mistakes were made in the way the charge was handled, including in the distribution of leaflets to all households. She has said the only other option for the Government is to increase income taxes, an avenue it does not wish to pursue.