I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, namely, that the House discuss No. 26 on the Order Paper, which is a Sinn Féin motion calling for a vote of no confidence in the Government. I ask the Deputy Leader to make time available today or tomorrow to discuss the motion.

Budget 2013 is an assault on families – as unfair as any we have seen in recent years. By continuing to protect the wealthy, it proves that as long as Fine Gael ideology dominates the Government, ordinary people will suffer.

These are not my words but the words of former Labour Party Minister of State, Deputy Róisín Shortall, speaking in the Dáil last week. The cumulative effect of the budget on working families is "regressive", according to Labour Party chairman, Deputy Colm Keaveney, who also pointed out that the Government "had choices in the budget and in certain areas we didn't make the correct choices." It is clear that many members of the Labour Party also believe that the Government made the wrong choices in the budget. It protected the wealthy and did not ask higher earners to pay any price and has again gone after carers, people with disabilities and ordinary working families who are suffering and struggling.

The comment by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, in respect of the election commitments given by his Department were nothing short of appalling.

Hear, hear.

Election commitments mean something to the people who vote for political parties. When politicians state at election time that they will act in a certain manner, for example, protect child benefit or maintain college fees at their current level, people expect them to honour those commitments. The Deputy Leader stated yesterday that this is a coalition and compromise is required.

That is the nature of coalition.

Why then did the Labour Party make child benefit and college fees red line issues? By doing so, it indicated to the electorate that these were issues on which it would not buckle and would not sacrifice in any discussions or negotiations on the formation of a Government. The party failed completely and betrayed those who voted for it on the basis of the position it adopted on these issues. It is important that the House debate the election manifestos of the parties in government. For this reason, I move the amendment to the Order of Business to discuss the Sinn Féin motion either today or tomorrow. It is important to give Senators an opportunity to have their say on the broken promises of the Government.

Senator Cullinane can speak with some authority on compromise given his party's record on compromise in Northern Ireland.

We are proud of it.