Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-21
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Paul Nicholas Gogarty (IND), Dublin Mid-West

I am flagging the issue. I am not expecting overnight action but in the context of the budget, it could be a process moving on. I am a firm believer in developing an entrepreneurial and creative society and giving people the opportunity to move forward. However, we have to protect the most vulnerable, as I and others have said all the time. The old Marx quote is probably the only bit of Marxism that is still relevant today: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." There are people who have contributed over many years who then get into a position of need. The reason I mentioned people with long-term illnesses and particularly the lady recovering from breast cancer, is as well as being out of work, they have additional costs and they do not have that support base at a time they have contributed and they need that little bit of extra help. It is a valid point to make and I take on board what the Minister has said. I hope that there may be some sort of a process that could help people in the short to medium term.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:58+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-21