Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It seems a fundamental unfairness to target carers for what, along with the back to school allowance, is the largest cut to anybody in this budget. The question is why were they targeted? Carers make a contribution, the value of which has doubled since 2006 when it was ¤2.5 billion. Some 900,000 hours of caring are given every day and the value of that is equivalent to a third of the total annual cost of the HSE. Why were carers targeted for the largest cut? That is a fundamental unfairness in the budget. The Seanad is called upon today to ask the Government to halt and think again.

Why was this specific cut included in the budget given that the health Estimate for next year includes a figure ¤550 million, which is completely nebulously described as savings from Croke Park? It seems that in the budget the Government had to say it was taking this amount off carers. There is a fundamental dishonesty at the heart of the Government in that when its members talk about the fairness of the budget and in aiming to prove that fairness they must refer to Fianna Fáil budgets going back to 2008 and to tax measures which do not come into effect until 2014.

Why is this cut coming into effect now, hurting the most vulnerable, caring and decent people in society when some of the tax measures which will slightly offset the unfairness of the budget will not come into effect for at least 12 months? Let us consider carefully the effect of our rejection of this matter and this section, to which many Senators have referred? Seanad Éireann does not hold the purse strings. That is not our job, it is the job of Dáil Éireann. We should be able to say to Dáil Éireann - "think again". The effect of voting against this section is simply to say to Dáil Éireann "think again". We are a brake on the Executive and the dominant parties in the Lower House of Parliament. Even if this measure were delayed for 90 days it would have zero financial implications upon the State.