Labour Dublin North East T.D. Tommy Broughan has slammed the eight Fianna Fail and one Green Northside T.D.s for their shameful and savage attack on citizens and families on low and middle incomes in Budget 2010.

Deputy Broughan said, "Many Northside families are already under severe pressure given the ongoing and appalling haemorrhaging of jobs in companies including SR Technics and Budget Travel. The government is bailing out the developers and bankers with a blanket bank guarantee (even for reckless "casino" banks) and the establishment of NAMA. Yet at the same time, Fianna Fail and the Greens are hammering low and middle Northside income families. Incredibly, the FF/Green coalition is the first government since 1924 to slash basic welfare benefits (with a minimum 4% cut in 2010).

"Budget 2010 contained a litany of attacks on some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Including the cruel abolition of the Christmas Bonus, Carers’ Benefit has been slashed by €648 per annum; Widows will lose €641 a year; people on Jobseekers’ Benefit and Allowance will lose €636 and disabled citizens who qualify for Disability Allowance will lose €636. Following the abolition of the Early Childcare Supplement, child benefit has been slashed by 10% and a family with three children for example will lose as much as €576 per year. Low and middle earners in the public sector have also had an appalling attack on their wages and conditions through the so-called Financial Measures in the Public Interest (No 2) Act with a further 5% reduction on all public sector salaries up to €30,000 and a 7.5% reduction on the next €40,000.

"Given the shameful measures contained in Budget 2010, it is desperately disappointing that the "Northside Nine", Fianna Fail Deputies Michael Woods (Dublin North East), Sean Haughey (Dublin North Central), Michael Kennedy and Darragh O’Brien (Dublin North), Noel Ahern and Pat Carey (Dublin North West), the author of these savage cuts in Dublin West, Brian Lenihan, Senator Martin Brady (Dublin North East) and Green Deputy Trevor Sargent have not stood by their own people and have voted in favour of this appalling Budget. By scrapping the Christmas Bonus and by the other callous cuts, they must know that they have cancelled Christmas for many vulnerable Northside families."