Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----for people who need them to do it. They will not find the carers in large numbers out on the streets. Why? They cannot leave their homes; they must stay at home and look after their loved ones. Very often the numerical strength can give focus to budgets but people like the carers seem to have been made cannon fodder of on this occasion.

I fully agree with the compliments paid to the Minister. I paid the same compliments when she was in the House on the last occasion. She would be my example of a caring Minister in society, and she has always proved that. I know she had to deal with the Department of Finance and all the other fiscal measures as well but it does not mean she is defeated or that she has done wrong by doing a U-turn. We have all done U-turns in times. We have all voted against the Whip when that was necessary. I have done it, and I hope I will have the courage to do it in the future if I have to do it again.

What is this Whip? Why should it be something that puts humanity and compassion on one side but tells us we must do what we are told by political masters on the other side? That is not acceptable. It is not good for democracy. It is not good for ourselves as a people because we are only robots when we do that. We leave this Chamber wondering if we have disgraced ourselves again. I hope that the pleas made here today, which were genuine, sincere and not an effort to score points, will be heard. It was not about that. We were giving a voice to the people who have no voice.

I mentioned a case highlighted on a television programme last night. The Minister could name hundreds if not thousands of similar cases. Those people are in their homes as we speak. They feel isolated yet they are wonderful people. They have outstanding courage. They have commitment. They did not run away from their responsibilities. Is that not what we want as a people? Is that not what we are asking people to do in this time of recession? We should show them now that we respect what they have done. They are not sending their loved ones into institutions. They are not sending them to hospitals. They are not disappearing and leaving them behind. They are standing their ground on behalf of their loved ones. We should be rewarding or at least acknowledging that.

I do not accept that savings of ¤26 million, considering the size of the budget, cannot be found. It is almost obscene for us to be getting a monthly cheque and putting it into our bank account when we know the suffering of those people on the ground.