The hysteria over the €325 cut to the respite care grant shows the scale of the problem the Government has in managing the completely unrealistic expectations of the public.

Isn’t it extraordinary that the very people who want the Government not to pay money to bondholders, which would bring about a default by the banks, are the same people who are complaining that banks are not lending to small businesses?

The Programme for Government says: “We will open up the budget process to the full glare of public scrutiny in a way that restores confidence”.

DESPITE the hyperbole, the fact remains that the social welfare rates announced in the budget are the same as those in place in 2007, and the cost of living has fallen significantly since then.