Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join others in expressing concern about the Bus Éireann dispute.Much of the debate has focused on whether the Minister should get involved. The Minister is involved and is the major funder, along with the Government, of Bus Éireann.

The point was made during a previous debate with the Minister in the House that this is an area of investment. We do not ask whether our schools are profitable. The areas under dispute involve public infrastructure and investment. The driver behind restructuring and the proposals that are on the table clearly send a message around the erosion of the subsidy and investment provided by the State for an essential public service. Dividends are not available on its profit sheet but, rather, in the social cohesion and all that it brings to Irish society in terms of making transport available to and engagement by all of our citizens in public life possible.

The Minister is involved. Therefore, it behoves him to be responsible for that involvement and talk to us about how he plans to manifest that involvement and take appropriate action in respect of it. I support those who spoke on the issue.

I want to highlight another issue. I am concerned about the comments of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Leo Varadkar, over the weekend. He is responsible for an important Department, namely, the Department of Social Protection, and has sent out messages regarding taxation. As somebody who has seen the importance of investment in our citizens through the social protection system, I am concerned that he seems to be prioritising a message in respect of the cutting of taxation which may make crucial investment more difficult.

I want to draw attention to one line of his comments because it is relevant today. He said, "We have allowed society to be divided into one group of people who pay for everything but get little in return due to means-tests, and another who believe they should be entitled to everything for free and that someone else should pay for it." That is inaccurate because we know those in receipt of the lowest incomes pay a large amount through indirect taxation and VAT – in many cases, it is a larger proportion of their income than others pay. Others contribute through care.

An Oxfam report which was launched today entitled Opening the Vault, showed an extraordinary degree of tax manipulation and evasion. Some 76%-----