Opposition criticism of ministerial lifestyles drew a sharp rebuke from the Government benches during the resumed debate on the Social Welfare Bill.
Mr Joe Higgins (Socialist Party, Dublin West) said it was revolting that the Taoiseach, Ministers and Ministers of State, earning considerably more than €100,000 annually, paraded into the chamber for the debate to boast of their generosity towards social welfare recipients.
"They have trumpeted an increase of €6 per week in basic social welfare as a major boost. Deputies on the Government side pay far more than the €6 for a Havana cigar."
The Minister of State for Health, Mr Brian Lenihan, who also represents Dublin West, remarked: "The purchase of Havana cigars helps the ideological friends of the deputy."
Mr Higgins replied: "The Minister knows that they are no ideological friends of mine as I have always been an anti-Stalinist."
Mr Higgins claimed that the Government "has helped land speculators, millionaire corporate shareholders and bankers to increase massively their wealth at a cost to working people and those on social welfare who are trying to keep a roof over their heads".
Criticising Government plans to acquire a new jet, Mr Higgins said it would be useful "if the Taoiseach and his two Cold Warriors, the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr McDowell, would jet into the sunset and not come back, or, perhaps, land in North Korea and disappear".
Dr Jimmy Devins (FF, Sligo-Leitrim) said the "so-called pseudo-socialists in the Opposition" had chosen to forget that over the three budgets of the Rainbow Coalition, the Labour party minister for finance had provided pensioners with a total average increase of a derisory €2.95. By contrast, the average annual increase for pensioners under the Fianna Fáil-led Government now stands at a massive €9.71."
Mr Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (SF, Cavan-Monaghan) said the Government had failed to mention that it was mainly people depending on social welfare who had the worst housing conditions, who languished on hospital waiting lists, who paid the price for failure to invest in public transport and who had the worst health and lowest life expectancy.
Mr Seamus Healy (Independent, Tipperary South) said the country had been awash with money over the past 10 years. And it was still awash with money, despite the claims of doom and gloom being made by the Government, various Government agencies and the media. "There is no basis for the miserly increases and cutbacks in this Bill."
The Bill passed its second stage by 70 votes to 56.
