Budget impact on carers and farmers
Senator Healy Eames describes the budget as harsh for carers and low-income farmers, highlighting the combined effects of child benefit, property-tax and suckler-cow cuts. Interjections dispute the Government’s position on promissory-note payments.
The fact that €3.5 billion will be taken out of people's pockets is hard and sore. It is for this reason that I compliment Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, for saying that the Government will do everything it can not to pay the promissory note due in March.
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He did not say that. He said it would not be paid.
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It would not be paid. I do not want to see all the hard work of this budget undone.
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We are trying to roll over another of your IOUs.
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Like many others, I have taken soundings over the weekend. Everybody, including carers, feels that it has been very harsh. I have written to the Minister for Social Protection to see if that can be undone. Farmers, particularly low-income farmers and dry stock farmers in Galway, have not been mentioned much. I have received text after text saying that budget changes will cost the sender €4,000 when he or she adds in the suckler cow cut, which is €40 per head. If one has 35 cows, that comes to €1,400. When one adds that to the cut in child benefit and the property tax, they add to up huge cuts. I am speaking to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, who has always been very fair and who does his best to tweak everything. There have been many serious cuts in income for farmers at which we need to look in addition to the cuts that have affected everyone else.
The nation is experiencing a considerable amount of psychological stress because the recession is continuing and the cuts are getting deeper. I know we have done this in terms of job creation and we need to do it again in terms of promoting good projects but I would like a debate on the psychological stress the recession is causing our people in order that we can identify solutions in Departments that need to be promoted.
Will the Leader consider that issue for early in the new year? What else can we do as legislators? We must do our best to alleviate the stress and help Ministers to devise solutions.