Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Despite the spin that is being put on this budget in a variety of quarters, one category of people has definitely been singled out, namely, the elderly. We have heard contributions on all sides regarding the cutbacks. If one takes them in isolation, they do not seem like much but they are when one examines their cumulative effect under the budget. For example, elderly people in general are savers. DIRT has been increased which will make it almost a disincentive to hold on to savings. The telephone allowance is being abolished. As Senator Leyden said, there is a security dimension to that measure, particularly in rural areas, of which I do not believe the Government has taken account. People over the age of 70 will find they will not have a medical card. It is heartrending to read some of the stories in today's media coverage of the impact of increasing the prescription charge from €1.50 to €2.50, or increasing the monthly cap for prescription charges by almost another €6 from €19.50 up to €25. Those increases may not seem much to those of us in this Chamber or in the other House, but they are when we hear from people on the ground who are on a fixed income that the loss of €1, €2 or €3 makes a difference and the loss of €7 or €8 makes a significant difference. It is all very well to say, and for the Labour Party in particular to point out, that there has been no change in the basic social welfare payments, but all these little hidden stealth taxes, when accumulated and borne by an individual, have a real effect - I am not talking about the collective. When the reduction in the fuel allowance is also taken into consideration, coming into the winter, when all those cuts are accumulated-----