In the words of Senator Norris, "If you go down to the woods today you're in for a big surprise". If you go down to the woods tomorrow you will be in for a bigger surprise because the trees will be gone and replaced by an 185 m wind turbines. That will destroy the landscape.

Senator Darragh O'Brien alleged that a social welfare grant for communion and confirmation had been withdrawn. It was never a grant. It is a discretionary payment which still exists and is distributed at the discretion of a community welfare officer. We have always had the problem of giving entitlements to people in receipt of social welfare by virtue of them being on social welfare. A person who had a great job but is laid off and goes on employment benefit could have €100,000 in the bank. He or she might presume an entitlement to a communion or confirmation grant. We need to remove the plethora of entitlements that people receive just by virtue of being social welfare recipients. Taxpayers think it is scandalous that they must work hard for everything yet a social welfare recipient gets everything. Exempting people in receipt of social welfare from paying the property tax was considered.

The Senator's comments are more suitable for a debate on social welfare.

We are making it harder for people to stop receiving social welfare because they have always been given so many entitlements. The grant for communion and confirmation still exists if people cannot afford the expense.