Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Will the Leader or deputy Leader explain how that is fair? How is it fair that child benefit has been cut across the board, and not just by the announced ¤10 which was hidden in the small print? Neither the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, nor the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, mentioned that the cut gets worse depending on the number of children, up to a cut of ¤20 per month? How should people accept those cuts? I do not specifically blame the Labour Party. It has a greater responsibility in this regard but both Government parties have agreed this cut. On the basis of the pre-election commitments given by the Labour Party specifically in the area of child benefit, a vote for the Labour Party was supposed to protect child benefit. Will someone explain to me whether it is like what the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, said at the weekend that they were only election promises and they do not really matter? It appears to be same with the increase in third level fees, which seems to have been forgotten, and the property tax. The Government is not seeking to exempt those with pyrite affected houses but will ram through an anti-urban property tax.

Following the weekend, I understand many Senators and Deputies took the time to lobby the Ministers. Perhaps Senator Bacik can tell the House the progress of that lobbying and if the Labour Party will back a cut in child benefit, the respite care grant and the back to school allowance. Next week, Members will have a better opportunity to vote against those cuts in the House because of the numbers issue. The Government does not have the majority it enjoys in the other House to be able to ram through these disgusting cuts. I ask Members to examine the cuts carefully this week and I ask Labour Party Senators, in particular, to look at the effect of these cuts that their constituents are telling them about. They will have the opportunity to vote against many of the proposed cuts. I seek clarification from the Leader and deputy Leader as to the success or otherwise of the lobbying to the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Social Protection at the weekend.