Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The approach of the Department and the Minister to social welfare is characterised by a complete and utter lack of fairness and by targeting certain groups for disproportionate hits to their income. They have done this with maternity benefit and adoptive benefit. They have picked out groups and said, "We can get a lump out of them and we can say then that we have kept our promise not to cut social welfare rates by not technically cutting a broad swathe of recipients". However, at the same time, they are hurting categories of people who are in a minority but who could be in a difficult position. For instance, it could be mothers or the elderly who use telephones or adoptive parents who are affected by this section. They have been subject to particularly harsh cuts. Benefits such as the disability allowance or the bereavement grant are not paid out of the goodness of the Minister's heart; they are paid for by recipients who have accumulated stamps over the years. They are entitled to these benefits because they have been promised them and they have paid for them. They have a contract with the Department. These are not social assistance payments that the Minister or the Government of the day decide to dish out. There is a solemn contract between the State and the citizen. The citizen pays a price for the performance of the contract but that is being disregarded by the Minister as she slashes benefits. A great deal has been said about the actions of the previous Government but it adopted a simple approach whereby everybody paid a contribution. Those who could pay most paid most and those who could pay least paid the least. We did not pick out any group for heavy cuts apart from the wealthiest who were subject to higher tax and USC charges. The Minister has decided not to target the rich at all.