Why has the Government decided to go after widows? They are one of the most vulnerable and defenceless groups in our society, yet the Government has chosen to implement a decision that imposes hardship on a group who have no voice and are electorally insignificant because they are scattered throughout the 42 constituencies. The Government has decided to remove the half-rate payment of unemployment benefit and disability benefit to which they are entitled when out sick or unemployed.

What is the justification for this decision? A little more than 2,000 people are affected by this measure to save €5.8 million when the Government has got just over €1 billion in moneys retrieved from tax evasion, more than €700 million in moneys from the DIRT inquiry alone, €25 million in the past three months, as reported by the chairman of the Revenue Commissioners last week and when the Government's revenue for the first two months is €430 million in excess of that forecast. What is the justification for this decision? The Minister who denied that there was ever any tax evasion is the beneficiary of €1,000 million. This is the Minister who could find €15.9 million for pony jumping at Punchestown and who found €157 million to clear the site at Abbotstown and repurchase land in his own constituency for the laboratories. This is the Minister who decided to pay lawyers at the tribunals an increase of €800 per day at the same time that he cut widows' entitlement to half-pay on social welfare and disability benefit. He decided to give those lawyers an increase of €800 per day while going down in a populist fashion to the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis claiming that he would intervene to stop the cost of tribunals. He approved that increase of €800 per day, but the Government decided to go after the widows and widowers of Ireland, people who have had the traumatic experience of losing a spouse and who must go out to work to support their families to keep bread on the table. The Government decided to save €5.8 million on their backs. It is a disgraceful decision and I ask the Tánaiste to commit herself today to reversing it.

Shame on the Government.

I want to make it clear that there is no question of the Government going after widows as Deputy Rabbitte——

It is going after them.

It has gone after them.

Maybe the Members opposite could listen and give me an opportunity to respond. The highest spending of all Departments, notwithstanding the low level of unemployment in Ireland, is the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

We will know about that when the Government is finished with it.

Listen to the facts for a moment.

Listen to the facts.

We spend more than €11 billion per annum on social welfare. This year we increased spending by €750 million. Therefore, there is no question of cuts; we are spending more money than ever.

How much of that went out of the country?

We did not see any sign of it.

We have an extraordinarily sympathetic and caring Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Coughlan.

We do not see any sign of that.

Allow the Tánaiste to continue without interruption.

As she made it clear last night, all social welfare reforms are constantly kept under review. Where there are incidents of hardship or unfairness the Government will always respond.

We will see about that at 8.30 p.m. this evening.

Allow Deputy Rabbitte to continue.

For a person listening to us this morning who has been widowed, who has lost her spouse, been forced to go back to work and who has to be out of work due to illness and who had been entitled to a half-payment in disability benefit, what is the relevance of telling her that the Government spends €11 billion on social welfare? What is the point in following the Taoiseach down this all-embracing defensive mechanism he has of rhyming off that the Government spends so many million euro? Some 2,000 widows and widowers are affected by this mean cut. The Minister poses for photographs with the National Association of Widows, giggles her way through "Morning Ireland", beguiles David Hanley and tries to come in here and do the same thing, when in fact she made this hard-hearted, harsh, mean, petty cut on people who cannot defend themselves. What is the point in going out and posing for photographs with the National Association of Widows and then coming back into the House and shafting them behind their backs? That is what she did. There is no point in a macro-economic lecture. These are cuts on real people who have already suffered in their lives. That is the issue.

That is the issue.

It is not a macro-economic lecture to tell the Deputy that the rate of increase we have given to widows since 1997 is four times higher than anything the Government of which his party was a member did.

Go back to the war.

Tell us about the Famine.

Allow the Tánaiste to continue without interruption.

The Deputies opposite have poor memories.

The Minister's memory is not too good either.

Allow the Tánaiste to continue without interruption.

An increase of €1.50 is all that Government gave them.

Remember Charlie's dirty dozen cuts.

The Minister, Deputy Ahern, is not good at remembering. He could not recall something 47 times in the one day.

Listen to the facts.

I ask the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, to allow the Tánaiste to continue.

We introduced for the first time a widowed parent grant in 1999 so we have done an extraordinary amount for widows because they are an important group and, in particular, in our social welfare system. The hallmark of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable.

The Minister, Deputy Ahern, could not remember 47 times on the one day. He is giving bad value for money to the taxpayers.

I ask Members to allow the Tánaiste to answer the question without interruption. Deputy Rabbitte who is entitled to do so submitted a question to the Tánaiste and she is entitled to answer that and Deputy Rabbitte and other Members are entitled to hear the answer. I ask Members on both sides of the House——

The Minister, Deputy Ahern, keeps interrupting.

The Hercule Poirot of the Fianna Fáil Party.

The Chair has already addressed the Minister, Deputy Ahern, and I ask Members on all sides of the House to allow the Tánaiste to continue without interruption.

The Minister should solve the postal dispute.

The Minister, Deputy Coughlan——

I ask the Minister, Deputy Ahern, to desist.

The Minister, Deputy Coughlan, held a meeting yesterday with the widows association. It is clear that Deputies do not want a response.

We just want an answer.

There is no point in wasting our time if they do not want a response, if this is all game-playing.

Do Members want a response?

Allow the Tánaiste to continue without interruption.

The Minister, Deputy Coughlan met the widows association yesterday. I repeat she is a caring Minister who understands the needs of social welfare recipients.

So we are wronging her?

She met them to consult and listen to them.

And told them to get stuffed.

It is a good thing when Ministers listen and consult.

We will know how well she listened to them at 8.30 p.m. tonight.

As I said earlier, the Government has always responded when hardship or unfairness is caused in any decisions made.