Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We often hear mention made of looking after our own. This is exactly what this motion is seeking to do. It is about looking after the proposers' own. I support it, however, because for me it is about assisting with whatever supports I can and doing whatever I can do in my power to support people. The Minister knows we talk a lot in this House about putting money into people's pockets. None of us are looking to do that so that people will have money in their pockets to spend on a night out or anything like that. We are seeking to put food on people's tables. We are aiming to support people and to enable them to have light and heating. I stress this point.

I genuinely believe that this Government believes it is doing everything it can in its power for the people. For most people in political parties, though not all, this shows how disconnected they are from ordinary people on the ground. For example, my colleague, Senator Kyne, used terms like getting up early in the morning, paying your taxes and all that old language we heard four years ago from the then Taoiseach and now Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar. I think that was for a party campaign. We have moved on from then. Ultimately, people need supports and we should be exploring having a mini-budget to help the very poor people in my communities. I understand that type of situation is not very visible to many people in this House. I live it and I see it. There is a meeting this evening at 8 p.m. in Ballyfermot to discuss the cost of living. Equally, as my colleague, Senator Chambers, also highlighted, having a car in rural Ireland is not a luxury. It is a must-have for people to be able to get from A to B, even though many places, like Ardara, County Donegal, now have bus services. Unfortunately, those schedules are limited in the context of allowing people to go to hospital appointments, jobs etc. I highlight this aspect as well.

In common with many Members, I met representatives of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, today. The union has four simple requests for education in future. One of them is a no-brainer and it should be brought in as part of the next budget plan. I refer to supporting and funding schools 100% instead of 80%. That would take a great deal of pressure off the ordinary working parent. I support the Government's consideration of phasing out the minimum wage. We all welcome that here. Four years is the time being considered for this phasing out, but four years is a long time for people struggling. We must examine this issue. It was also noted by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, that a decision has been taken in Germany to increase the minimum wage from €9.82 to €12 from 1 October. Why are we not looking at these issues with the same urgency? We seem to get many of our ideas from other European countries.Why can we not take a leaf of the Germany's book with regard to the minimum wage? This is important. Something the Government is really missing is getting out and speaking to the people and knowing what is going on. I hear people on the street saying that they went to Penneys this month with child benefit for two or three children and were out by more than €300. This is an awful lot of money. People really have to choose between putting on the light or feeding the children. They are genuinely struggling. The Government could do an awful lot more if the political will were there. We have to lose the idea of putting money into people's pockets. We are not looking to put money into people's pockets. What we are looking to do is put food on their tables and support them. It is as simple as that. What we are doing now is not working . I support Fine Gael's motion which is about supporting people. It is a step in a positive direction but the Government is well out of touch.