Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator MacSharry's amendment. I wish to ask the Leader what happened the Protected Disclosures Bill that was due to be discussed on Report Stage today. It was deleted from the schedule without any reference to the Whips, or certainly not to the spokespersons. I do not think that is appropriate.

I wish to refer to the glossy brochure that landed in our pigeon holes today. Senators Darragh O'Brien and MacSharry have already referred to it. I understand that it is printed by the Department of Finance on the finest of cardboard. It reminds me of the Department of Finance's budget this year for post and telephones. It was increased in the Estimates by 33%. While the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, is getting an increase of 33% in his telephone bills, pensioners have to do with nothing. That is the essential problem with the Government's approach. It is completely unfair. The only people who have been asked to give in the budget are the poorest and most vulnerable in society. Those approaching the top have been asked to contribute nothing. While the brochure refers to fairness, the only way the Government can get the figures to add up to show that budgets have been fair is by, as it said itself, going back to 2009 to the Fianna Fáil budgets.

That is written in the leaflet the Government produced. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly confirmed last week that Fianna Fáil budgets had been fair. He was a little slow coming to the conclusion considering that the ESRI had been stating it since the current Government had taken power. We really should have a full debate on the issue of fairness.

The most recent budget and its two predecessors have been completely unfair. Consider the pension levy, for example. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, slipped it in and blamed the pensions industry. The 0.15% deduction from pension funds will mean a cost of €120 a year for somebody on a pension of €5,000. That is what it will mean in practice. Somebody who worked in Tara Mines and has a pension of only €5,000 will face a cut of €2.40 a week. That is completely unfair. For somebody on a pension of €15,000 in 2015, it will mean a cut of €810. That is the reality of the policy the Government is proposing. It is letting the wealthy and those who can take cuts off with nothing. They are being asked to make no contribution whatsoever. There is no contribution to which Members opposite can point that they have been asked to make. When we were in government, we asked them to make a contribution as we made cuts affecting everybody proportionate to their means. All the studies show this.

We need a debate on the issue of fairness. The Labour Party has failed abysmally in the fairness test. Its members may boast, as they have been doing, about €37 million being set aside for childhood GP cards, but the Government is taking €390 million through increased charges in respect of medical cards. That is not fair. I reiterate a point with which the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, agreed some days ago, that is, that the budget adjustment is €3.1 billion, not €2.5 billion. It is about time the Labour Party copped on to this.