Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

What of the Bord Gáis funds? The gas bills are so high that old people have to live in one room to keep warm. We have raised funds - the funds have come from us, the middle men.

I commend the allocation of ¤17 million to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. This is extremely important because education and young people are the beginnings of a great country, and that is where the money should go.

With regard to the property tax, a ¤500,000 home will probably cost about ¤900 a year, a ¤400,000 home about ¤700 and a ¤300,000 home about ¤400. Where is that money going and what will it be used for? I have very little faith about its use, although it is one of the greatest cash cows in this budget. If it is to pay the next tranche of unsecured bondholders, there is nothing that can be said about it.

With regard to the Minister of Education and Skills, I will say something quite controversial. I actually do not think he went far enough. Some 27,000 young people in fee-paying schools pay between ¤5,000 and ¤17,000 to be educated at second level yet they baulk at the doors of the DCU and UCD for ¤2,500. University fees should be doubled, if not trebled. Those who can pay them should pay them, and those who cannot should be properly means tested. It may be a controversial thing to say but I believe it is only right.