‘Seemingly small cuts have a shattering effect on people’

Independent TDs accused the Coalition of attacking the old, the sick and the young while corporate profits and the wealthy are protected.

Budget measures for 2014 came under fire amid calls for a wealth tax and an emergency public works building programme.

The United Left Alliance leader Richard Boyd Barrett questioned the cuts in the €2.5bn budget, including the abolition of the €114 phone allowance for the elderly and the changes in the income threshold for medical cards.

“Seemingly small cuts have a shattering effect on people who are already struggling,” he said.

“The cut to the bereavement grant is unnecessarily cruel and will hit poor people hardest.

“The cut to unemployment rates for people under 26 and cuts of €25m to the third-level sector is basically a government message to young people telling them to just get out of the country on a tax-free Ryanair flight.”

Former Labour Dublin West TD Patrick Nulty argued that his former party had betrayed their election promises.

“Budget 2014 also represents a further failure on the part of Labour to keep their election promises. They promised to extend mortgage interest supplement. Instead, the supplement will be denied to new applicants.

“They promised to protect core social welfare payments, but they have cut unemployment benefits for young adults.”

Wexford Independent TD Mick Wallace warned about the reduction in jobseekers’ allowance for the under 25s, and the increase in maternity benefit taxation.

“This budget continues the legacy of the Government’s fiscal policy, which does not address inequality and poverty in Irish society,” he said.

“Rather than deal with the huge levels of youth unemployment, the Government prefers to let the young people of this island know that they are simply not welcome here.”

Former junior health minister and Labour TD Roisin Shortall claimed that changes to medical card eligibility could affect 150,000 people.

She warned that the country was facing a “difficult period in health” due to inaction and a lack of joined-up thinking among officials.