Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is a core payment in my view but the Minister does not believe it is. A respite care grant is a core payment, particularly for the 5,000 families who receive the respite care grant and get no further assistance from the State.

If we are to talk about finance, the economy and the banks, about which the Minister spoke at length in her contribution, I would point out that she did not mention the financial contribution carers make to this State. They provide 990,000 hours of care per week. If the HSE was to provide that care, it would cost approximately ¤4 billion a year, yet ¤325 is being taken from people who need this money. I do not understand why this is being done. If we are to talk on the premise of fairness, equality and protecting the most vulnerable, this is not the way to do it. I think we would all believe that the child benefit system should be reformed. Those who do not need it should not get it.

The Minister did not mention in her speech that there are inventive ways to do things. She did not mention the introduction of the free preschool year, which is another initiative I would stand over every single day of the week. Every child on reaching the age of three years and three months is entitled to a proper preschool Montessori year before beginning national school. Why was there no inventiveness in the budget? Rather than that all recipients' of child benefit payment will be reduced to ¤130 a month. The current Minister, Deputy Michael Noonan, when in opposition, famously asked the then Minister, Deputy Lenihan, God rest him, a few years ago what he had got against the third child. That got a great laugh from those on the Minister's benches at the time, and rightly so because it was a good quip. To be serious about this matter, we need to consider the current situation. Unemployment has never been higher, there is a mortgage crisis and nearly one in four mortgage holders across the board in middle Ireland are in arrears. We will deal with the property tax later in the week but how can the Minister say to a family on an income of ¤30,000 or ¤40,000 a year that cutting child benefit in this way is fair? It is not fair and the Minister knows that. How can she say to the 75,000 families who receive the respite care grant that taking 20% of that annual payment from them is fair? It is not fair. All I ask is that we have a reasoned debate here during the next three days and that Senators examine the amendments tabled, stand up for the people who really need these payments and make sure this Seanad continues and uses this opportunity to show it will stand up to the Dáil and say it got it wrong and that it must look at this legislation again. That is all the passing of an amendment means.

I thank the Minister for coming in here today. I look forward to debating the specific amendment tomorrow.