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Today's budget is the second in this Government's term. No one budget can achieve all the things that a government wants but it can set us on a path, a trajectory, a way forward.  The path we are setting out here today is an optimistic one for Ireland. It is a path that brings us to a place in which work is rewarded, risk is repaid and investments in our future bear fruit for decades to come. It is a place in which the benefits of growth are widely shared, where everyone - regardless of their circumstances - can get ahead, improve their lot and provide for their families.  I want people at home to know that we have heard loud and clear the importance of a personal income tax package. People are working hard and are doing their best. They want Government to work with them, and we get that. It is so important that we have a strong economy but a strong economy can never be an end in itself. It is there to serve society. People need to feel the benefits of economic growth in their own daily lives and, indeed, in their pockets.  Uncertain times  As Members know, this budget is being delivered at a time of major global uncertainty. Three issues, in particular, informed my thinking over the past few months as we sat down to construct this budget. The first, and most obvious, is the volatility we continue to see in world energy markets. The conflict in Iran and the increase in energy prices that has brought is having a real impact on people's lives. That is why Government acted, with one of the largest support packages in the European Union, and today we will do more. The second issue we face is the significant geopolitical uncertainty we have experienced over recent years. As a small open economy, Ireland is extremely vulnerable to shifts in the terms and patterns of global trade. Third, we cannot and must not ignore what is happening in global bond markets. Some of the biggest, most advanced countries in the world are experiencing a rise in borrowing costs that will significantly increase the cost of financing their debt, impeding their ability to do other things. Ireland is not immune from these challenges, and we must be mindful of the global economic headwinds.  Today's budget reflects this context. It balances today's needs with tomorrow's musts. It is fair to people who are working now while not forgetting about those who will do so in the future as well as those who have already made their contribution and retired, and it recognises that the future of our economy depends on our ability to invest and to continue to grow.  Economic Resilience  A remarkable aspect of the turbulence of recent years has been the resilience of the Irish economy. Ireland has one of the youngest populations in the European Union. We have one of the fastest growing economies. We have rising incomes, falling debt and full employment. While the difficulties of interpreting some Irish economic data are well known, there are some statistics that show, undeniably, the progress that this country continues to make. There are now over 2.8 million people working in Ireland, the highest level since records began. We have had four and a half years of full employment, the longest stretch ever. Wages have kept up too, rising by an average of 4.5% per year over the past four years.  Looking ahead, my Department is forecasting that we will add a further 53,000 jobs next year. These jobs will be added because our economy will continue to grow.  Modified domestic demand, MDD, the best measurement of the domestic economy, is set to grow by 3% next year. Since the pandemic, domestic demand in Ireland will have grown by 20% by the end of next year. These forecasts have all been endorsed by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council.  In normal circumstances this would be a solid record of growth. In the context of wars, trade disputes and energy crises, it is quite simply phenomenal. Put simply, it is not unreasonable to say that Ireland has been and is an island of economic and political stability in a world of increasing and growing volatility.  Public finances  That stability is reflected in the public finances.  Today my Department has updated its fiscal forecasts. This year we expect to run a surplus of \u20ac6.7 billion. In 2027, we will again deliver a surplus of \u20ac9.5 billion.  People ask why we run surpluses. We do it so that we do not spend tax revenues that cannot be relied upon in the future on day-to-day spending. We do it so that we build up financial buffers, which can help us when a period of challenge arises, as has been the case with the current energy crisis when we were able to use some funding from the surplus to help people. We use the same tax revenues to also invest for the future we know is coming - for our ageing population, for the pensions and for the healthcare people will need in later life.  Now is the time to put money aside so that our children are not financially ruined paying for our own old age. Now is also the time to fund the infrastructure our growing country needs to thrive. That is why we will invest over a quarter of a trillion euro in infrastructure over the next ten years. It is why we will continue to run budgetary surpluses for the remainder of this Government\u2019s term in office. Today, I am informing this House that we are reinforcing this Government\u2019s commitment to the Future Ireland Fund by investing an extra \u20ac1 billion into the fund next year. This will be in addition to the planned transfer of around \u20ac4.8 billion already due to be made.  We must plan for a future in which the public finances will not always look like they do today, and we must build more resilience in a more shock-prone world. Today\u2019s budget is one of a series of budgets in which the Government intends to do just that; to make policy choices that back investment by private sector companies to deliver jobs; use fiscal and regulatory policy to support growth and to help hard working people and their families get ahead, not just get by.  Making hard work pay  These people are the backbone of our society. Whether they are in the public or private sector, getting up early or staying in work late, caring for their families and contributing to their communities, it is the tax revenue of hard-working people that pays to provide the services we need. Our tax system is one of the most progressive in the developed world. We should be proud of that fact. In our system, those who can pay more do so and the more you earn, the more you pay. That is the right kind of system to have. It ensures people on low wages do not pay too much. We should never lose sight of the fact a third of taxpayers pay no income tax at all.  It also helps to ensure Ireland remains a broadly equal country but we need to be careful that those in the middle are not forced to carry too much of the burden.  Income tax  It is those in the middle who can often feel the squeeze, earning too much to qualify for supports but too little not to notice the rising cost of living. In our view, there are too many people who feel like this. Too many people are working hard, earning good money on paper and feel like they are just about getting by. Through this and future budgets, we want to work with people to change this. That is why today we are announcing a personal income tax package of \u20ac1.3 billion. I am increasing the standard rate cut off point by \u20ac2,500 to \u20ac46,500, with proportionate increases for married couples and civil partners. I am increasing each of the main tax credits - the personal, employee and earned income credits - by \u20ac125, and I am increasing the home carer tax credit by \u20ac100. These changes will now mean someone earning \u20ac50,000 a year will pay over \u20ac700 less in income tax and USC next year. For a couple with two incomes earning \u20ac100,000 between them, it will mean \u20ac1,500 less in their tax bills. I am also increasing the entry threshold for the USC 3% band by \u20ac1,600, from \u20ac28,700 to \u20ac30,300. The increase takes account of the minimum wage changes which will be outlined in detail by my colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.  I am also pleased to confirm that to support small and medium enterprises, SMEs, and to ease the PRSI impact on employers from an increase in the national minimum wage, the Minister for Social Protection will increase the employer PRSI threshold from \u20ac552 to \u20ac600 per week for 2027. This will represent a saving to businesses on employers PRSI of between \u20ac650 and \u20ac700 per employee below the new threshold, over the course of a year.  The programme for Government committed to changing the tax bands to prevent an increase in the real burden of income tax over time. That is the path we are on and we want to build on that in future budgets. We are doing so because work must always pay and those who want to work must have the opportunity.  There are more than 346,000 people with a disability in Ireland who are already in work. They are contributing to our economy, supporting their families and communities and making an enormous contribution to our country. However, there is a significant gap in participation. Behind it are people who want to work, people who want the opportunity to build careers and financial independence, and people whose talents Ireland cannot afford to leave on the sidelines. A more inclusive labour market is not just about fairness. It is about making sure everyone who can contribute has the opportunity to do so.  Over the course of the next year, we will work across Government to examine what further measures we can take to recognise the contribution of those who are already working while doing more to remove the barriers faced by those who want to enter or remain in employment.  Capital acquisition tax  Today, I am also making changes to the capital acquisition tax thresholds which apply to gifts and inheritances. These were last increased in 2024. I now intend to provide further increases to all thresholds. I am increasing the group A threshold from \u20ac400,000 to \u20ac420,000, the group B threshold from \u20ac40,000 to \u20ac44,000 and the group C threshold from \u20ac20,000 to \u20ac22,000.  Standard fund threshold  In relation to pensions taxation, I am revising the age-related valuation factors which apply to the standard fund threshold regime. These new valuation factors will come into effect on 1 January 2027, and details will be set out in the finance Bill.  Making money work hard  Investing for the future does not apply solely to the Government\u2019s plans for infrastructure spending, nor solely to the Future Ireland Fund. Irish people have a strong culture of saving, yet participation in investments remains very low. For many, investing can be complex, inaccessible or reserved for those with significant wealth or significant expertise. We as Government want to change that. Earlier this year, we announced that we would develop a new Irish investment account. We want to make investing simpler, clearer and more accessible to everyday people. We want to create an environment where people can put their money to work to build up their own financial resilience. We have undertaken extensive work on the design of this account. We have engaged closely with consumer representatives and financial services providers. We have also examined successful approaches in other countries and engaged with the European Commission as it advances the Savings and Investments Union.  Deposit and savings accounts will, of course, continue to be the right choice for many people and for many purposes, as will Ireland State savings which will continue to offer a suite of savings and investment products, such as Government bonds, that are 100% guaranteed by the State.  Government\u2019s role is not to tell people how to manage their money; it is to ensure people have clear choices, information they can trust, a system they understand and a tax system that is fair and works - a tax system that strikes a balance between encouraging small-scale investment while ensuring those with greater means continue to make a fair contribution.  To achieve this balance for our new savings account, I will be providing a tax-free threshold of \u20ac50,000; a flat tax of 1% on the value of the account above that threshold; and a maximum contribution limit of \u20ac12,000 per annum and no minimum contribution. For example, if an account were to be valued at \u20ac2,000 above the threshold - in other words, \u20ac52,000 - the tax payable for that year would only be \u20ac20. That represents an exceptionally good option for people in this country. The contribution limit of \u20ac12,000 in combination with the tax-free threshold means it is extremely unlikely that any tax will be due in the first few years following the opening of an account, even where the maximum contribution is made.  Crucially, there will be no requirement for people to engage with Revenue when it comes to the normal administration of the account. That responsibility will fall to the provider. These accounts will operate outside the scope of the taxes which currently apply to different investment products. There will be no capital gains tax, dividend withholding tax, investment undertaking tax nor life assurance exit tax. The deemed disposal rule will not apply to investments held within the account. Those choosing to invest will have a broad range of options including shares, bonds, exchange traded funds, ETFs, and other funds. They will have the choice of a variety of service providers, including banks, investment firms and insurers. This range of choice will foster competition and help to reduce fees.  The investment account will also sit alongside our national financial literacy strategy, helping people to develop the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions about saving and investing. Changing our investment culture will not take place overnight, nor should it, but I truly believe this can be a moment we will look back on and say this was the day we democratised the long-term gains from investment and ensured more benefits were felt by far more of our people. The account will open on 1 July 2027 and will be legislated for in the finance Bill.  Financial services  Moving on to the existing taxation regime for retail investment, as I have said many times, the introduction of the investment account does not replace the need to review and reform the broader framework. This year, I will take action to simplify the legislation underpinning it, providing clarity regarding how tax on investments such as ETFs operates.  In addition, I am pleased to announce a reduction in the rates of tax that apply to investors in Irish and equivalent offshore funds, and Irish and foreign life assurance products, including investment undertaking tax and life assurance exit tax, from 38% to 35% from 1 January 2027.  We will now intensively continue the work on the wider regime, including the rate of taxation, deemed disposal and the administrative burden facing investors, and I intend to make further progress on removing barriers to investment.  Helping with the cost of living in the here and now  Fundamentally, the tax changes I am announcing today and the introduction of the investment account are based on the reality that individuals and families are best placed to manage their own budgets. Lowering the tax burden frees up people to make their own choices, to do what is best for them in their own circumstances. That is not to say that Government cannot help. Of course we can and we are.  Sometimes that comes in the form of a temporary response to a moment of challenge, but the Government is also putting in place structural changes to help people in their everyday lives, like the income tax measures I have outlined. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, will shortly provide details on a range of expenditure measures. There are also tax policy measures beyond those that relate to personal income tax that can really make a difference to people\u2019s lives, reduce their cost of living and help raise their living standards.  Energy  The most acute area of pressure at the moment is energy. We have experienced two energy price shocks over the past five years. The increase in oil prices since February has had a damaging knock-on implication for every household and business in Ireland. That is why Government acted in successive ways to lower the price of petrol, diesel and the cost of bringing goods to shops up and down the length and breadth of this country. The measures have had a positive impact. Inflation is around 0.6% lower than it would have been had we not acted. Our approach during this crisis has always been to remain flexible. When dealing with a situation that is changing almost daily, Government intervention needs to stand ready to extend supports as necessary.  Carbon tax  The carbon tax is a fundamental response to the energy transition. The tax was due to raise around \u20ac1.3 billion this year and assist with measures such as residential retrofitting, fuel poverty interventions, and agri-environmental schemes. We are committed to using this tool to speed up the energy transition. However, the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in do call for extraordinary measures, so we must do more. We have to be honest. Even if the conflict in the Middle East was resolved today, we would still be dealing with the repercussions for oil prices and the knock-on impacts on prices across the board.  Home Heating Costs  In particular, as we come into winter, the increase in the price of home heating oil and natural gas represents a heavy burden for many families who have no easy alternatives. While no Government can fully absorb the impact of the Middle East conflict, we must act. Therefore, I want to be clear that carbon tax on home heating oil and gas is being reduced and will not increase again in the lifetime of this Government. I want to be clear that there will be no increase in any form of tax at the pump or in your home during this winter period. We are reducing the rate of carbon tax on both kerosene and natural gas. Rates on these products were scheduled to increase twice between now and May 2027, from \u20ac63.50 per tonne of CO2 today to \u20ac78.50 per tonne by 1 May 2027. Instead, they will both be reduced to where they were in 2023 to \u20ac48.50 per tonne. Importantly, to give certainty to households and businesses and to embed this real reduction in the cost of living and in doing business, we are announcing that these rates will be maintained for the lifetime of the Government. The decision not to proceed with future increases on these products will ultimately result in the carbon tax rate being less than half of what was set out in the original trajectory.  Extension of Excise measures  Today I am also extending the temporary reduced fuel excise rates that are currently in place until November. The reductions will now remain fully in place until 28 February 2027. From that point we will begin a gradual and responsible restoration in four phases, with full restoration not occurring until 30 June 2027. This further alleviation is in addition to other measures such as the extension of the reduced National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, levy until 31 December 2026; and the extension of the enhanced diesel rebate scheme until the end of the year. The extension of these measures will continue to lower inflation, reduce the cost of doing business and keep more money in people\u2019s pockets.  In line with the programme for Government commitment, my Department is also engaging with the European Commission to establish an even more favourable tax treatment for hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, to assist people transitioning to a greener alternative.  Energy transition  The changes I am introducing today do not in any way signal a weakening of our resolve to decarbonise the economy; it is quite the opposite. The two recent energy shocks have offered further proof, if any were needed, that we need to wean ourselves off fossil fuels. Our reliance on dirty, imported fossil fuels is damaging to our economy, raises the cost of living and puts the welfare of our society at the mercy of events over which we often have no control. This simply cannot continue. The energy transition is most often seen from the perspective of climate change. Recent summers and winters, both here in Ireland and across Europe, have shown how urgent this is.  It is not just about that. The energy transition is fundamental to our economic well-being, to our national security; to our competitiveness in an increasingly competitive world and to our overall standard of living. A strategic aim of this Government is to facilitate and speed up that transition but it must be done in a way that is fair to people who cannot shoulder all the costs. That is why, last year, the Government injected \u20ac1.5 billion into the ESB to help finance the investment needed to increase capacity and integrate renewable energy. A further \u20ac2 billion will be invested by EirGrid in the coming years to boost the resilience of the grid as we switch to renewables. The national energy affordability task force will publish its latest report shortly. The task force was charged with examining structural reforms needed to lower costs for households and businesses. As Members know, people are already responding and making changes where they can in their own lives. Today we are announcing further measures to assist with the transition.  Vehicle Registration Tax  Over recent years we have seen a fundamental shift in people\u2019s preferences when purchasing a new car. In the first eight months of this year, more than one in every four new private cars registered in Ireland was electric, which is higher than the European Union average. In August, the number of new electric cars was up 57% on the same period last year. Much of that change is down to supportive Government policy and today I am extending the VRT relief for electric vehicles for another two years until 31 December 2028. To further incentivise purchases of low emission cars, I am also increasing VRT rates by 1% on more pollutant cars in bands 3 to 20.  Cycle to Work  We will initiate a review of the cycle to work scheme in 2027 to determine ways to boost take-up among all workers. The Minister for Transport will initiate a comprehensive review of the taxsaver scheme for commuters. Working patterns have changed and the scheme needs to reflect that. If a satisfactory new model can be developed, the same tax treatment as under the current scheme will apply.  Sustainable Aviation Fuel  We need to look at all opportunities to decarbonise. Sustainable aviation fuel, SAF, is expected to play a central role in decarbonisation of the aviation sector in the coming years, and there is potential for Ireland to become a hub for SAF production. The Government intends to commence a public consultation to identify barriers to SAF, including renewable energy and bio-feedstock production inputs, to investigate the potential role for support mechanisms in this area.  Microgeneration  I am increasing the income tax disregard for microgeneration income received by households that sell electricity back to the grid by \u20ac200 from \u20ac400 to \u20ac600.  Structural changes to help with planning for the future  I will now detail some further structural changes the Government is making in this budget to provide more permanent assistance to households and businesses with managing everyday costs and planning for the future.  Childcare  Investment in childcare and early years education is not only an investment in our children\u2019s future but an investment in the economy's resilience. Despite real progress over recent years the cost of childcare is still too high for many families. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, will shortly outline measures the Government intends to take in that space. Alongside that, I am enhancing the childcare services relief to increase the tax exemption by \u20ac5,000 to \u20ac20,000 to endeavour to increase supply and to remove the limit on the number of children that can be minded under the relief. This will provide greater flexibility to childminders to support the needs of parents and families.  Education  The cost of education has a big impact on many families, and as we continue to reduce the student contribution fee, I am aligning the disregard for the income tax relief for third level fees with the student contribution fee, which will provide a further saving to parents.  Housing  We have acknowledged that this budget is coming at a time the cost of living is looming large for our people. When it comes to the everyday cost of living and the longer-term, structural changes we want to make, high rents and high house prices are a key driver of high costs. That is why housing has been this Government\u2019s number one priority. This year we will spend over \u20ac9 billion building new homes. In total, funding for housing under this Government and its predecessor has nearly quadrupled. We all continue to work to do more.  Rent -a-Room  The only long-term solution to the issues in the housing market is increased supply. One of our successful incentives to add supply is the rent-a-room scheme and we are building on that in this budget by increasing the tax-free threshold a homeowner can earn from \u20ac14,000 to \u20ac16,000. This is aimed at incentivising more people to rent out rooms.  Earlier this year, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage also introduced revised planning rules to make it easier for homeowners to add detached accommodation on the grounds of their homes. I am now also extending the rent-a-room income tax relief to include newly installed detached auxiliary dwellings between 32 sq. m and 45 sq. m. The change will apply retrospectively from 27 July last when the new planning rules came into force.  Rent Credit  We are fully aware that as we ramp up public and private investment and supply increases, prices and rents remain high. High rents are a key driver of the cost-of-living pressures and we want to help address that. The rent tax credit is now helping around 400,000 people with rent every year. Making good on the Government\u2019s commitment, this year we are increasing further the value of the credit by \u20ac150, bringing it up to \u20ac1,150 for single claimants and \u20ac2,300 for couples.  Help to Buy  We also want to provide further support to first-time buyers, so we are building on the successful help to buy scheme by increase the maximum refund a first-time buyer can claim by \u20ac5,000, to \u20ac35,000, with immediate effect. This ensures taxpayers can get more of their own money back while they are buying their first property.  Residential Zoned Land Tax  The residential zoned land tax was introduced in budget 2022 and came into effect on 1 February 2025. This tax is designed to increase the national stock of zoned and infrastructurally serviced land, and to deliver housing across the country. It is achieving these objectives. I am now providing another opportunity for landowners to avail of an exemption in 2027 if they seek to have their land rezoned to reflect the genuine economic activity being carried out and that exemption will be considered by local authorities.  Local Authority Borrowing  Local authorities are the key stakeholders in the delivery of social and affordable housing. They are also going to be key in delivering on other Government and national priorities such as infrastructure and urban regeneration. Citizens often see government in action at a local level, and we want to give more autonomy to local authorities to do what they are mandated to do. Therefore, from next year, I will permit local authorities to borrow more, and they will be allowed to spend some of their own resources, or borrow, an additional \u20ac200 million per annum. The local authorities that have the means will now be able to invest more in capital projects that are consistent with Government priorities, making a positive impact in many communities.  Derelict Property Tax  Local Authorities also have a key role with regard to dereliction, which is a scourge in many of our towns and cities, and quite simply an unacceptable spectacle in the depths of a housing crisis. Last year, the Government announced that a new derelict property tax would be introduced, and I have been working with the Minister for housing on this. Legislation on this will now be included in this year\u2019s Finance Bill. This is a housing policy measure with a regeneration goal, and it will require local authorities and Revenue to work together as implementation partners. The tax will encourage property owners to redevelop their properties or sell them to someone who will. Local authorities will continue to have a central role with regard to the identification and registration of derelict properties. Work will commence on this in January, and preliminary registers of dereliction will be published on next September. The rate of tax will be 7% and Revenue will use its full range of powers to ensure high rates of compliance. Together with the changes I am making to allow local authorities to spend more, this tax will help revive many of our villages, towns and cities.  Culture and heritage  Local communities also depend on a vibrant cultural sector, and we want to continue to support them. Therefore, I have asked my officials, in conjunction with the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, to commence a review of the tax treatment of theatre production costs and supports for the wider night-time economy. In a further measure related to culture and heritage, I am also increasing the annual threshold for tax relief on the donation of heritage items to Irish national collections from \u20ac8 million to \u20ac12 million.  Charities  Charities are also making a vital contribution for communities right across this country. From Bray to Bundoran, Donegal to Dungarvan and Carlow to Cavan, charities are doing so much in each of our communities, and we want to help them under the VAT compensation scheme. Under this scheme, they are entitled to claim a refund on a proportion of their VAT costs based on their level of non-public funding. In this budget, I am increasing the total annual capped fund from \u20ac10 million to \u20ac15 million.  Rural pubs  Rural pubs are at the heart of many local communities. They often provide a place where families, friends and neighbours can come together. Supporting the local pub helps keep an important part of rural life alive, while also supporting local jobs and the wider economy. They are also key small and medium businesses, hiring thousands of people cumulatively across this country, including many young people.  Today, I am announcing \u20ac15 million to keep our pub doors open. In the time ahead, we will work to develop a scheme that will help assist our rural pubs and will engage with that sector.  Supporting business  At this time of the year, the focus is often on how we distribute the fruits of economic growth, and all too often there is not enough consideration given to how that growth was actually achieved in the first place. It is businesses and it is enterprises that generates those taxes that we then use to pay for public services. It is enterprise that drives productivity, growth, incomes and increases in living standards. It is the small business owner, the risk taker and the entrepreneurs that are the bedrock of the Irish economy. To encourage such entrepreneurship, to reward risk, and facilitate the scaling of home-grown Irish firms, we are reducing the standard rate of capital gains tax from 33% to 31%. I am confident that doing so will help business owners make the right decisions for them and the right decisions for their businesses, will release capital for reinvestment, and will help improve competitiveness in the Irish economy.  Reducing the cost of business  In line with a commitment given in the programme for Government, the cost of business advisory forum recently made a number of recommendations to the Government. The report recommends changes to the enhanced reporting requirements, which were introduced in 2024 and oblige employers to make certain reports to Revenue. I have listened to stakeholder feedback on this and I am announcing that we will provide for a change in reporting in the Finance Bill. From January, employers will be able to choose to continue to operate in real time in terms of those reports or instead make monthly returns. Further details will be included in budget publications.  Ireland\u2019s competitive and stable tax regime has long been an important part of our enterprise offering, working alongside a comprehensive system of grants and supports, but there is no room for complacency. We want to ensure we can make it easier for businesses to invest, to innovate and to grow, safeguarding and enhancing the competitiveness of our enterprise support regime. Therefore, we intend to undertake an holistic assessment of all the various grant schemes, enterprise tax incentives and business development programmes currently on offer. We want to enhance and improve our overall approach to supporting enterprise and encouraging the mobilisation of private capital investment, taking into account the European state aid framework that we operate in.  Ireland Strategic Investment Fund  To further support the growth of Irish companies, I am very pleased to announce today that the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, will launch a \u20ac1 billion investment programme aimed at creating the next generation of large Irish companies. This is ISIF's biggest ever investment in scaling and it will be a three-year programme running up to 2030. We want to create an environment in which Irish businesses remain rooted in Ireland but can scale up and grow internationally. In co-ordination with Enterprise Ireland, ISIF will invest through a range of channels to ensure that ambitious Irish businesses have enough capital to do just that.  Small business\/start-up measures  I also want to encourage private investors to invest in Irish businesses and to take a chance on an Irish start-up. As trade patterns shift, it is more important than ever that we create a dynamic and innovative start-up culture in Ireland and that we help them attract funding and scale up. So today, and subject to the adoption of the new EU state aid general block exemption regulation, I am announcing the extension of the employment investment incentive; the start-up capital incentive; the start-up relief for entrepreneurs; and the relief for investment in innovative enterprises, also known as the angel investor relief. I am also extending the corporation tax small company start-up relief.  Corporate tax  The Government is committed to making sure that our tax code remains competitive, supports investment and is aligned with international best practice. Therefore, I am making a number of amendments to our corporation tax regime.  R&D  The R&D tax credit has been a cornerstone of our corporation tax policy since its introduction in 2004, providing consistent support for cutting-edge scientific and technological research for over two decades. Building on the enhancements of recent years, and in line with the programme of work set out in the R&D compass, I am making several further improvements to this important regime, including: increasing the existing limits on scope for subcontracting to third level institutions and third parties, from 15% to 20%, and from \u20ac100,000 to \u20ac200,000; increasing the first-year payment threshold from \u20ac87,500 to \u20ac105,000 to provide cash flow support to smaller R&D projects; introducing a new enhancement in respect of qualifying R&D wage costs; providing that if a clinical trial is regulated, this fact may be used to satisfy the science test to reduce administrative burden and recognise R&D work undertaken by Irish companies as part of global trials; and providing for a simplification measure to improve recognition of the R&D tax credit for preliminary tax purposes.  Knowledge Development Box  Recognising the importance of creating intellectual property in Ireland, I am also extending the knowledge development box, KDB, regime by a further five years. There have been significant changes in the international tax environment since the knowledge development box was first introduced. Accordingly, I am also providing for a limited option for existing claimant companies to opt out of the KDB regime in respect of all qualifying assets.  Ireland\u2019s interest regime  As part of the ongoing review of Ireland\u2019s taxation regime for interest, I will also be advancing several targeted amendments in the upcoming Finance Bill to simplify the existing provisions governing interest relief on borrowings taken out for certain lending and investment activities.  Changes to Preliminary Corporation Tax  I am also providing for amendments to preliminary corporation tax rules, to reduce uncertainty, improve flexibility and reduce the administrative burden for companies. The amendments include increasing the threshold up to which a company is considered to be a small company for the purposes of preliminary tax payments.  Pillar Two  In January, the OECD inclusive framework agreed the pillar two side-by-side package. It will provide certainty to the business community and avoid further fragmentation of the international tax architecture. I will be publishing legislation to implement that package also in the finance Bill.  Withholding Tax  Following announcement in last year\u2019s budget speech, a joint Department of Finance and Revenue public consultation on the proposed reform and expansion of withholding tax was conducted. Today, I am announcing that I will reform professional services withholding tax by introducing \"personalised deduction rates\" in place of flat withholding at 20%. This will be subject to commencement order to facilitate engagement with stakeholders.  Agriculture  When we talk about supporting businesses, we can never forget our most indigenous industry which is critical to Ireland's national economy - agriculture. Family farms are the glue that bonds rural communities together. They represent a system of food production that is safe, reliable and sustainable. Last year, farm incomes rose by 49% with particularly strong growth in the beef sector. Recent Governments have never been slow to recognise the importance of this sector to Irish society and this year will be no different. The Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming was established to help address the urgent challenge of Ireland\u2019s ageing farming population. It published its report with a number of recommendations last year. I am happy to announce that in response to one of those recommendations, regarding succession farm partnerships, I am removing the three-year holding period for applications made from 1 January 2027 onwards. I am also increasing the associated tax credit that is available for five years, from \u20ac5,000 to \u20ac10,000, for all succession farm partnerships registered from 1 January 2027.  Unfortunately, and sadly, there are still too many accidents and injuries on family farms. I want to make sure that farmers are not discouraged from making their farms safer by the cost of safety equipment. Therefore, I am extending the accelerated wear and tear allowance for farm safety equipment by three years to 31 December 2029. I am also adding 12 further items to the already extensive range of equipment covered by it. Today, I am also reducing the rate of VAT on respiratory vaccines for livestock from 23% to 9%. Finally, the farmers flat rate addition is being increased from 4.5% to 4.8% in 2027. This will provide for full compensation for flat-rate farmers for their VAT input costs.  Fisheries  It is, of course, important to support our fishers. I want to acknowledge the interim report of the independent chair of the Food Vision 2030 seafood group, which highlights the importance of the seafood sector to sustaining businesses in rural coastal communities. The report recommends a number of measures in relation to current taxation, succession and the acquisition and disposal of fishing and aquaculture business. I and my officials will work with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries, and his officials in progressing proposals for consideration.  Public sector delivery  Those of us who work as public representatives, and those of us who work in the public service more broadly, have a responsibility to continue to ensure public services are delivered in the most cost-effective and efficient way possible. In my own area of responsibility, I have seen how Revenue has utilised new technologies to deliver better services at lower cost. This sort of innovation is not only what our citizens expect but what they deserve and demand. Increased efficiency, improved productivity, better value for money - these things free us up to do things that public servants would want to do, to work on the things they joined the public service to work on, to drive innovation, improve living standards and compete in a more competitive world.  For example, in the healthcare sector, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, working closely with the Department of Health, will soon complete a new national life sciences strategy. At the heart of this must be a more strategic framework for medicines and health technology that supports a more predictable, sustainable and forward-looking approach to how Ireland plans for, invests in, and delivers access to medicines and health technologies. I look forward to working with ministerial colleagues across Government to progress this important agenda.  Revenue raisers  I will now outline the further revenue-raising measures in this budget alongside the VRT changes I have already set out.  Tobacco  Smoking continues to kill so many Irish people every year. It is important that we continue to discourage and dissuade people, particularly younger people from smoking. I am, therefore, increasing the excise duty on a pack of 20 cigarettes by \u20ac1, with a pro rata increase on other tobacco products. I am also increasing the duty on e-liquid products by 20 cent per millilitre.  Bank Levy  Although our recovery has been extraordinary, the scars of the financial crisis remain, particularly in the housing and construction sectors. It is, therefore, appropriate that the banking sector continues to play its part. I am extending the bank levy for a further year, with a target yield of \u20ac200 million.  Future of the economy  I began this address by saying that the path we want to set out today is an optimistic one for Ireland. It is an optimism that is founded on belief in this country to continue to make the extraordinary progress we have made over recent decades. The choices we made to get where we are today proved the right ones. Ireland can meet the challenges we face, geopolitical shifts, competitive pressures, demographic changes and many others but we can only meet them if we continue to make the right and responsible choices. We know we need to diversify our industrial base and scale Irish firms, and we will. We know we need to invest the increases we have seen in corporation tax, rather than rely upon them, and we are. We know that the only conceivable future is one powered by clean, Irish energy. The path we have set out over the past year, including through the medium-term plan and this budget, recognises these facts. In this and future budgets, we will remain firmly on that path. We will continue to invest heavily in our physical infrastructure with transformative and once-in-a-generation projects. We will continue to target budget surpluses to guard against the downturns that may come, and to make sure we never mortgage our children's future. We will continue to capitalise our sovereign wealth fund, the Future Ireland Fund, so that we plan to meet the demographic change, not that might come but that we know is coming.  Conclusion  I have acknowledged that we are presenting budget 2027 at a time of uncertainty. There is uncertainty in energy markets, in global bond markets, and a broad uncertainty in geopolitical relations that we have not seen in a generation. As a Government, we are responding to those uncertainties by building up our national resilience; by anchoring our tax policy so that we can give people some certainty on the direction of travel; by giving people more of their own money, so they can make their own choices; by offering them a chance to invest in their own future; by freeing up businesses to invest and grow; by using the resources of the State to improve and expand critical infrastructure; and by intervening in a measured way to ensure that a short-term energy crisis does not impede our longer-term goals. We do not build resilience by being reckless. We do it by setting out a path that is ambitious, yes, but also achievable. It is a path centred around people, that rewards hard work, risk-taking and innovation and that recognises that the State and the Government cannot do it all but must do what it can to help people in the here and now, and to plan for the future. Through this budget and the remaining years of this Government, we intend to do just that. That is why I commend budget 2027 to the D\u00e1il. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jack Chambers","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jack-Chambers.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jack-Chambers.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (Deputy Jack Chambers)  R\u00e9amhr\u00e1  Agus an T\u00e1naiste agus m\u00e9 f\u00e9in ag cur buis\u00e9ad 2027 i l\u00e1thair don Teach, d\u00e9anann muid \u00e9 sin \u00f3 bhonn l\u00e1idir. N\u00ed f\u00e9idir an bonn l\u00e1idir sin a thomhas tr\u00ed staitistic\u00ed eacnama\u00edocha amh\u00e1in, \u00e1fach. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 le f\u00e1il i gcumas agus in uaillmhian \u00e1r ndaoine \u00f3ga, sa neart at\u00e1 in\u00e1r gcuid pobal ar fud na t\u00edre agus i socha\u00ed a bhfuil athr\u00fa thar na bearta tagtha uirthi ach ina motha\u00edtear go l\u00e1idir f\u00f3s gur cheart seasamh le ch\u00e9ile agus aire a thabhairt d\u00e1 ch\u00e9ile.  As the T\u00e1naiste and I present budget 2027, we do so from a position of strength. This strength stems from the hard work and dedication of the Irish people. It resides in the talent and ambition of our youth, in the spirit of communities across our country, and in a society that has undergone extraordinary change while retaining a deep sense of connection and care for one another. As the saying goes, ar sc\u00e1th a ch\u00e9ile a mhaireann na daoine; we live in the shelter of one another. That spirit of connection comes from the progress we have made as a country. At full employment and with strong public finances, our economy continues to grow. That growth has given us both the means and the opportunity to confront the challenges facing our people, strengthen our country and invest with confidence in its future but prosperity is not an end in itself. It brings with it choices, and with those choices comes responsibility.  As a Government, our responsibility is to ensure that the growth we experience today is translated into lasting improvements in people\u2019s lives, greater resilience in our economy and a stronger country for the generations that follow us. The budget I am announcing today with the T\u00e1naiste represents a scale of investment in our public services and infrastructure not seen before in our State, but the level of our spending cannot, in itself, be the measure of our success. That success must be measured differently - in the homes that are built, in hospital waiting lists that are reduced, in childcare places created, in infrastructure delivered and, ultimately, in whether people at home can see and feel a difference in their daily lives. That is the true measure of our success - not the scale of the resources we allocate, but the difference those resources make for our citizens, our communities and our country.  Budget 2027 targets resources where they can have the greatest impact, supporting families under pressure, helping workers with the cost of living and investing in the services and infrastructure on which our future depends. However, budget 2027 is not just an exercise in allocation. It is also an exercise in reform, simplifying how the State works, improving how public services are delivered and shifting our focus from simply building a bigger State to building a better one. We have seen significant growth in the size, resources and reach of our public services in recent years. Our task now is to ensure that this increased capacity translates into services that are more responsive, efficient and capable of delivering for our people.  Fiscal responsibility and public service reform are two sides of the same obligation - to use our position of strength wisely. When times are good, Governments have a responsibility to build resilience rather than assume that favourable conditions will continue indefinitely. As former Taoiseach Se\u00e1n Lemass once observed, \"We know by theory and experience that we cannot insulate ourselves from the effects of economic decline in other states.\" Internationally, we are facing the most fractured and uncertain geopolitical environment that many of us have experienced in our lifetimes. While Ireland has successfully absorbed or mitigated many of the worst effects of this instability, we have not been insulated from it. Its consequences are visible at the pumps, on supermarket shelves, in household bills and in the costs faced by businesses right across our economy.  At home, the concentration of corporation tax receipts among a relatively small number of firms remains a significant vulnerability for our public finances. Taking those revenues for granted, and continuing to increase permanent expenditure commitments with them, would be akin to writing cheques today that we may not be able to pay tomorrow.  Expenditure Strategy  That is why the Government is taking a responsible approach to managing our public finances, moderating current expenditure growth next year to 6%, down from over 8% in recent years. This will see an extra \u20ac7.1 billion allocated in 2027, bringing the total level of gross public expenditure to \u20ac125.6 billion. We will support investment in our public services and infrastructure, but we will do so at a pace that is sustainable and with a greater focus on what that investment delivers. We need to ensure that today's commitments can be honoured tomorrow. To achieve this, we must fundamentally reset how we allocate resources and how we build a better State.  Creating Value for Money for the Future  Over the past year, I have introduced stronger expenditure controls, greater scrutiny of how staff resources are deployed and a renewed emphasis on accelerating infrastructure delivery. Reform can never be an occasional exercise or a response to emerging pressures. It must sit at the heart of everything we do. Through the accelerating infrastructure task force, we have made great strides on infrastructure reform this year. I believe that we can emulate this when it comes to day-to-day spending. Therefore, it is my intention to establish a new public spending efficiency task force whose mandate will be to extensively scrutinise day-to-day public spending. It will identify areas across public spending where there is scope to drive greater efficiencies and it will recommend specific actions that can deliver better services and greater value for money. I have asked my officials to establish this task force, with terms of reference to be finalised and work to commence within three months. This will inform the approach to budget 2028 and subsequent budgets over the lifetime of this Government to drive better efficiency, economy and delivery in all day-to-day spending. The work of the task force will be geared towards building a better State, a goal that is also driving my approach in infrastructure delivery.  Delivering Critical Infrastructure  On this day last year, I made a commitment to tackle the barriers that were delaying critical infrastructure projects across our country. Since then, we have embarked on an unprecedented programme of change, and it is working. This year alone, we have: fast-tracked nationally significant projects through the Critical Infrastructure Act; cut months from project timelines through reformed approval processes; backed decision makers across the public service with a clearer approach to risk; and taken steps to reduce the number of legal cases that can hold up critical projects for years.  The reforms we are delivering at pace are moving us quickly in the right direction, but we must not become complacent. In 2027, I intend to build on the work of the task force, identifying the next steps needed to drive accelerated infrastructure delivery. Success will be measured by how quickly we can translate the \u20ac275.4 billion committed through the national development plan into real projects - the water, energy and transport infrastructure we need to deliver more housing and tackle homelessness. Next year, I am allocating \u20ac20.3 billion for capital investment, an increase of \u20ac1.1 billion on 2026.  Transport  A key focus of this investment will be on transport, a sector that has had a challenging year. Conscious of the pressures being faced, particularly by road haulage and commercial passenger transport operators, the Government is extending the road transport support scheme for two months this year. This will cost an estimated \u20ac73 million. To further support the transport sector in 2027, I am allocating \u20ac5.5 billion to the Department of Transport. This will enable: a record level of investment to maintain and enhance public transport networks and support the roll-out of new and expanded services across the country, including rural transport improvements; the launch of the vehicle adaptation scheme, helping people with mobility needs to access adapted vehicles; support for the Irish Coast Guard\u2019s search and rescue service; and regional airport connectivity.  Through the national development plan, \u20ac4.2 billion will: provide for additional investment in DART+, BusConnects and the Cork area commuter rail programmes; support major road projects such as the Adare bypass, the Galway ring road and the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy; and sustain maintenance of the existing transport network.  The Government is also allocating an additional \u20ac6 billion in Exchequer resources for the period 2027 to 2030 to progress MetroLink, a project of unprecedented scale in our country. Now at detailed tender phase, MetroLink is a project that will be delivered and it will transform our capital city, reducing congestion and journey times for hundreds of thousands of commuters. It will also enable up to 120,000 more homes to be built.  Climate, Energy and Environment  Investing in our energy infrastructure is also key to housing delivery. Secure, sustainable and affordable sources of energy have never been more important for our country, and to support progress on our ambitions, I am allocating \u20ac1.3 billion for the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment in 2027. This provides for a record capital allocation of \u20ac654.5 million for Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, residential and community energy upgrade schemes. This will deliver more solar PV and a package of enhanced renewable energy and retrofit grants, including a boiler scrappage scheme to support permanent reductions to the cost of living.  A total of \u20ac170 million will be allocated to climate action and the environment. This will include \u20ac25 million for the EU just transition programme in the midlands, ensuring that these communities are supported through our energy transition.  Finally, an overall allocation of \u20ac155 million will further develop our circular economy, including \u20ac47 million to tackle waste contamination sites, making our localities cleaner and protecting nature and our natural resources.  Water  Water is another critical natural resource and a building block of future growth. To support its significant programme of investment and to accelerate the delivery of new and existing water infrastructure, I am allocating \u20ac2.3 billion to Uisce \u00c9ireann in 2027. This includes \u20ac1.5 billion in capital funding: to build capacity and increase the resilience and sustainability of our water supply; for new water and wastewater connections, enabling the delivery of new homes; and to deliver upgrades to wastewater treatment infrastructure, improving water quality, protecting the environment and enhancing compliance with regulatory standards.  This investment will progress over 400 projects in counties right across Ireland next year, including the eastern and midlands region water supply project, the greater Dublin drainage scheme and wastewater treatment plant upgrades in Limerick and Waterford.  Housing, Local Government and Heritage  The shortage of housing is the single greatest challenge facing young people and families today. A lack of supply is contributing to homelessness, driving up costs and impeding our young people from experiencing the independence that comes from owning their home. To fully address this challenge, we need to make it easier to build the houses our growing country needs. In the coming year, the Government will continue to accelerate reforms to remove the barriers standing in the way of progress, with a supply-side focus. To support the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in 2027, I am allocating \u20ac9.4 billion. This includes \u20ac2.2 billion to continue to support the social housing needs of 110,000 households through the housing assistance, rental accommodation and social housing current expenditure schemes as well as invest in emergency supports for those facing homelessness, with targeted supports for families in that position.  I am allocating the Department \u20ac5.6 billion in capital funding. This includes \u20ac3 billion to fund social housing delivery, including 11,250 new-build social homes; \u20ac225 million will be allocated to the housing infrastructure investment fund; under the starter homes programme, over \u20ac1 billion will be allocated to deliver thousands of starter homes through a range of affordability supports, alongside the help to buy initiative; over \u20ac360 million is being allocated to address specific housing needs, including adaptation grants for homes and the retrofitting of additional social homes; and \u20ac350 million is being allocated to support regeneration of urban areas. The towns and cities regeneration investment fund will support a programme of investment in every local authority in the State.  Investing in Public Services and Our People  The Government is acutely aware of the pressures many people and their families are facing in our country and today\u2019s budget will help to ease that pressure. While we cannot insulate against every price rise, we can deliver a meaningful and progressive package of supports for households that seeks to address cost-of-living pressures and protects the most vulnerable in our society.  Social Protection  Our social protection system is a key part of achieving this. Next year, I am allocating \u20ac30.9 billion to the Department of Social Protection, which is a \u20ac2 billion increase on this year. It will provide for a \u20ac10 increase in weekly social welfare rates, which more than offsets projected inflation next year and will benefit around 1.6 million people, including pensioners, jobseekers, carers and disability scheme recipients. I am providing for a new cost of disability payment of \u20ac500, which will benefit almost 240,000 people currently in receipt of long-term disability payments. The carer's allowance income disregard will increase to \u20ac1,150 for a single person and \u20ac2,300 for a couple.  To support households with their energy costs, I am increasing the weekly fuel allowance rate by \u20ac5 - an increase of 13% - supporting support more than 470,000 households. I will increase the income threshold for the fuel allowance for single pensioners from \u20ac534 to \u20ac641 per week, and I am also increasing the living alone allowance rate by \u20ac3 per week, or 14%, benefitting 260,000 recipients.  To support families and children, I am increasing the weekly rates of child support payment for children under and above the age of 12 by \u20ac6. This will bring the payments to \u20ac64 and \u20ac84 per week, respectively. The working family payment weekly income threshold will increase by \u20ac30, benefiting almost 60,000 families.  Alongside these measures, this funding will provide for an additional 27,000 people on pension schemes and an additional 17,000 recipients on illness, disability and carer\u2019s schemes in 2027. We will support the future pensions of 835,000 workers as part of My Future Fund.  Children, Disability and Equality  Making progress to reduce child poverty is a key priority for the Government. This budget takes decisive steps to move us farther along that path. Reducing childcare costs is a meaningful way of making progress. It will make it more affordable for families to raise their children and support people to participate in the workforce. For this reason, I am reducing the maximum childcare fees paid by parents from \u20ac735 to \u20ac550 per month for children up to senior infants. This will save parents \u20ac2,220 per child per year. Taken together, the childcare measures in budgets 2026 and 2027 will reduce the maximum parental co-payment by more than 30%, keeping us firmly on the path towards achieving our programme for Government commitment on childcare costs.  The \u20ac7.6 billion allocation to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality will also support the childcare workforce to grow, strengthening capacity across the sector; ensure that almost 100,000 children can avail of free preschool under the early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme; expand the access and inclusion model, providing additional support for approximately 1,000 children with disabilities under the age of three; provide further residential and foster care placements through Tusla, ensuring greater capacity to support children who need care; and grow Tusla\u2019s workforce by 322 staff to a total workforce of 6,257.  Disability  The Government is fully committed to advancing the rights and improving the lives of people with disabilities. To make progress, a further 489 residential care packages will be provided next year, as well as 1,500 new day service places. The provision of respite packages will increase, and home support and personal assistance hours will also increase by 191,000 hours. The disability services workforce will be increased by 930, bringing the total workforce to 24,574, which represents a 9% increase over the past two budgets. Further developing capacity in this sector will support people with disabilities and their inclusion in everyday life in our country.  Education and Youth  It is also vital that every student is supported to reach their full potential and that our education system is inclusive of all students. To support this, I am allocating \u20ac14.4 billion to the Department of Education and Youth in 2027. This will provide for an increase of \u20ac17 million to the capitation funding paid to support schools' in terms of their running costs. Per pupil, this will mean an increase of \u20ac68 to \u20ac342 at primary level - a 25% uplift - and an increase of \u20ac42 to \u20ac446 at post-primary level, an increase of 10%. An additional \u20ac2 million will support the DEIS plus programme and \u20ac3 million of funding is being provided for an additional 100 home school community liaison co-ordinators to improve outcomes for children at risk of educational disadvantage.  I am providing a \u20ac56 million increase in the allocation to support children and young people with special education needs in mainstream, special classes and special schools. This will fund 2,339 additional special needs assistants, SNAs, in 2027, bringing the total number of SNAs to 28,000, and an additional 1,353 teachers, increasing the total numbers of teachers in the area of special education to 24,000. Additional funding of \u20ac33 million for school transport will bring 180,000 children to and from school every day. Capital funding of \u20ac1.6 billion will support continued progress on projects across the school estate, including additional accommodation and modernisation for special education. A second tranche of projects under a climate action summer works programme will also be advanced.  Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science  The frontier of technological innovation is moving at an unprecedented pace. The development and diffusion of AI is not just a new trend; it is a paradigm shift that will have profound implications for our economy and society. As a country, we are well placed to take advantage of the opportunities that AI offers but only if we equip our people with the skills of the future. To deliver on this, I am allocating \u20ac5.3 billion to the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in 2027. This will fund a new three-year National Training Fund skills package with a total investment of \u20ac360 million, \u20ac150 million of which will be targeted at strengthening skills resilience across the economy, including the skills we need to adapt to a future where AI is central to work.  I am also conscious of the pressure many families face in supporting their children through third level education. To ease cost-of-living pressures on families and widen participation in higher education, I am introducing a permanent reduction to the student contribution fee of \u20ac150. I will also provide for enhanced and new student contribution fee grants for families with more than one child attending higher education, as well as an increase in SUSI maintenance grant rates by 4.5% from January.  Overall, these measures will benefit over 150,000 students and their families.  Additional funding will also be provided to expand apprenticeship delivery, moving us closer towards the Government\u2019s target of 12,500 annual registrations by 2030; and for over 1,420 additional higher education places in key health and social care professions.  A \u20ac925 million capital allocation will fund key NDP projects, including continued support for INSPIRE, Ireland\u2019s research infrastructure programme and for Taighde \u00c9ireann, to attract international talent and drive excellence in research, as well as support for public private partnership projects to improve and expand university campus facilities, including in Waterford, Carlow, Limerick, Galway and Letterkenny. This investment in education and research will drive scientific discovery and innovation, which is a cornerstone of our digitalisation agenda.  Digitalisation and AI in the Public Service  In the public service in particular, our ambition must be to go beyond using new technology to make old processes faster. We must use it to redesign services around the citizen to make public services better and easier to access. To support this, I am providing \u20ac17 million to the digital transformation fund in 2027, alongside ongoing investment of \u20ac9 million in Government digital infrastructure, bringing total planned investment to \u20ac26 million next year. This funding will support the delivery of simpler, more connected and more accessible public services for people, families and businesses across the country.  There is perhaps no area where the combination of investment, reform and technology has greater potential to improve people's lives than in our health service.  Health  Life expectancy in Ireland has never been higher, and our health system is among the highest funded in Europe, on a per capita basis. In the past decade, annual investment in health has increased by over \u20ac13 billion and in that time, the health workforce has grown by over 30%. It is crucial that our investment in health, alongside productivity and reform, translates into better outcomes for patients.  To support this, the Department of Health will receive an additional \u20ac1.6 billion in current expenditure in 2027. This will provide for: an increase in the HSE pay budget, to support front line and community workforce growth within agreed pay budgets; an additional 1.8 million home-support hours helping older people remain at home and to leave hospital; reform of GP services, including better access to GP out-of-hours services across the six health regions; better access to dental and orthodontic care for children; and expansions in access to free contraception, providing eligibility to people aged up to 37.  Budget 2027 provides for a record level of investment in mental health, delivering: increased resourcing for early intervention, crisis supports and new ADHD pathways in CAMHS; 33,000 extra hours of free counselling for men, young people and the LGBTQI+ community; and investment in targeted suicide prevention initiatives to support the Traveller community.  The NDP will fund \u20ac1.7 billion in health infrastructure projects in 2027, including: progressing the relocation of the National Maternity Hospital; expanding the surgical hub network and progressing elective treatment centres in Cork, Galway and Dublin; providing additional acute, community, mental health and residential beds; and supporting virtual consultations, secure digital systems and the technology needed to deliver more care digitally. Investment in public healthcare strengthens our communities and protects the most vulnerable in society.  The same is true when it comes to security and defence.  Protecting our communities and our State  Justice, Home Affairs and Migration  Everyone who lives in our country deserves to feel safe in their homes and communities. Our garda\u00ed play such a critical role in this and to support the force in 2027, funding will be allocated to recruit up to 1,000 trainee garda\u00ed, bringing our force to over 15,000 next year. A \u20ac5.9 billion allocation for the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration will also provide: an additional \u20ac5.3 million for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence initiatives, including additional funding for Cuan; an additional \u20ac77 million for the Irish Prison Service to respond to demand; an increase of \u20ac13.5 million for the Courts Service to continue investment in modernisation and service delivery; over \u20ac11.5 million of additional funding will be provided for youth justice initiatives; and an additional \u20ac7.5 million will go to the National Cyber Security Centre.  Defence  Alongside investment in justice, we will continue to strengthen our capacity to protect the State and respond to a more uncertain international environment. This is why I am announcing a package of \u20ac1.6 billion for the Department of Defence for 2027. This increase of 9% will support: an intake of 850 new Permanent Defence Force members next year; increases for Air Corps and Naval Service equipment; national preparedness and resilience funding; IT investment for digital transformation and the joint cyber operations unit; and healthcare and medical services for the Defence Forces.  Some \u20ac340 million of NDP funding will support: the delivery of new helicopters and the military radar programme; targeted investment in capabilities, including maritime surveillance and cybersecurity; and the modernisation and upgrade of military installations throughout the country.  Foreign Affairs and Trade and Shared Island  Our security is shaped by our engagement with the wider world, especially at a time when Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Overseas development funding is a crucial part of our global contribution and that is why I am announcing funding of \u20ac1.3 billion for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for 2027. This will include: \u20ac855 million for international co-operation to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance through the Irish Aid programme; further support for the emigrant support programme; additional investment in trade diversification and sports diplomacy; and support for the reconciliation fund to further support peace on the island of Ireland.  Our Shared Island  The progress we have made to secure peace on this island can act as a beacon of hope in an increasingly fractured world but we know too well that we cannot take this for granted. We must continue to invest in building connection and progress that is mutually beneficial. The shared island initiative offers us this opportunity by delivering major investment that will benefit the whole island. In 2027, I am allocating \u20ac200 million to the shared island fund to support: the completion of the iconic Narrow Water Bridge, linking the Cooley Peninsula with the Mourne Mountains; and the commencement of a new teaching building at Ulster University; and phase three of the Ulster Canal restoration. We will also invest in major new infrastructure in ports to support offshore renewable energy both North and South, as well as upgrades to rail infrastructure between Dublin, Belfast and Derry, in line with the All-Island Strategic Rail Review. The shared island initiative will deepen connections between people across the island and offer new opportunities for enterprise.  Strengthening growth, enterprise and Ireland's global position.  Enterprise, Tourism and Employment  Enterprise flourishes in our country when the courage, determination and vision of our entrepreneurs, SMEs and family businesses is matched by a State that can enable and support the right conditions for success. First, we can simplify and rebalance regulation to make it easier for domestic and foreign-owned enterprises to do business here. Second, we can deliver targeted financial supports to new and existing businesses, so that they can continue to grow and support record levels of employment in our country. To support these goals, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment will receive \u20ac1.4 billion in 2027. Some \u20ac3 million will enable Enterprise Ireland to establish Startup Ireland as a national entrepreneurship initiative and single-entry point for founders. IDA Ireland will progress initiatives across next-generation sites and regional investment. Funding will provide the national artificial intelligence office with a strong foundation to implement the AI Act. We will invest to expand high-value overseas tourism, extend the tourism season and increase regional visitor numbers. The growth and sustainability loan scheme will assist Irish companies in accessing finance to develop their businesses. Some \u20ac29.6 million is being provided to the European Space Agency programme. This will support Irish companies in securing additional high-value international contracts, delivering strong economic returns for Ireland.  Agriculture, Food and the Marine  For decades now, our agriculture sector has been delivering for Ireland. A key component of our modern economy, it is the heartbeat of every corner of Ireland, supporting almost 160,000 jobs. I am conscious of the pressures that farmers are facing when it comes to fuel costs. Therefore, the fuel income support scheme for farmers and agricultural contractors and related horticulture and fisheries schemes are being extended to cover a further five-month period this year, at a cost of \u20ac31.2 million. Government will continue to support the agriculture sector in 2027 and to do so I am allocating \u20ac2.3 billion to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Fitzmaurice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Fitzmaurice.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Michael-Fitzmaurice.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice  That is less than last year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jack Chambers","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jack-Chambers.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jack-Chambers.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jack Chambers  This will provide: an extra \u20ac21.6 million for water quality and biodiversity European innovation partnerships, to improve water quality on farms and support farmers; \u20ac22 million for the national sheep welfare scheme; \u20ac8.4 million for animal health and welfare policies, including horse and greyhound welfare measures and the animal welfare strategy; a \u20ac4 million increase for the straw incorporation measure, to support the tillage sector and the environment; \u20ac31 million for a new fertiliser scheme, to be launched in 2026, to support farmers in responding to higher fertiliser costs; and an additional \u20ac20 million for the fisheries sector, following the recommendations of the Berkery report.  Not only is Ireland's agrifood sector supporting jobs and exports but it is also the driving force of our rural communities.  Supporting vibrant communities and culture  Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht  Our farmers, food producers and coastal communities play a vital role in sustaining regional economies and supporting growth across the country. The success of these sectors has always depended on the strength of the communities behind them. In 2027, the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht will receive \u20ac628 million. Of this, \u20ac208 million will support rural development, \u20ac8 million will support local job creation, social inclusion and environmental projects through the LEADER programme, \u20ac5 million for the community services programme will provide more local services and employment opportunities, \u20ac2 million will help small community and voluntary groups, particularly those serving disadvantaged communities, cuirfear \u20ac161 milli\u00fan ar f\u00e1il chun tac\u00fa le pobal na Gaeltachta, chun an Ghaeilge a neart\u00fa agus chun seirbh\u00eds\u00ed agus naisc iompair do phobail na n-oile\u00e1n a fheabhs\u00fa, agus cabhr\u00f3idh \u20ac1 milli\u00fan breise le tuilleadh daoine i bpobal na Gaeltachta a gcuid scileanna Gaeilge a fhorbairt agus a choinne\u00e1il, while an additional \u20ac1.5 million will support vital transport links for offshore islands.  In 2027, the NDP will support the development of the pier at Inis O\u00edrr in County Galway, forbairt ar ionad Gaeilge nua ar Shr\u00e1id Fhearchair i mBaile \u00c1tha Cliath, agus athfhorbairt chol\u00e1iste samhraidh Chol\u00e1iste Lurgan i nGaeltacht Chonamara. Together, these measures will strengthen rural communities' amenities, support the Gaeltacht and help preserve and promote the unique cultural heritage that enriches our country.  Culture, Communications and Sport  Communities are sustained by the institutions, traditions and activities that bring people together. Our artists and media help define who we are as a people. They preserve our heritage and showcase Ireland's creativity and talent at home and abroad. From local clubs to national level, sport has a unique ability to unite. Those of us lucky enough to be in Croke Park and, indeed, the whole country, will never forget how they felt in those final seconds as the clock ticked down on Mayo's 75 year wait for All-Ireland glory this summer. We are a country that understands the immeasurable contribution sport makes to our shared sense of belonging. That is why in 2027, the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport will receive a package of \u20ac1.3 billion. There will be \u20ac121 million in current funding for Sport Ireland, which will support sports participation and player development, including \u20ac4 million in funding to the League of Ireland football academies, a \u20ac1 million increase in funding to the Gaelic Players Association to support intercounty players, \u20ac1 million is ring-fenced for the hurling and camogie academy initiative, additional support is provided for high-performance in the build up to the LA Olympics, and almost \u20ac22 million will support Ireland's hosting of the 2027 Ryder Cup and preparations for the 2028 European Football Championship.  For culture and the arts \u20ac34 million will provide a full year of income support for artists, helping them remain in creative work. Record funding for the Arts Council will support artists, arts centres, festivals and initiatives such as Culture Night and creative schools. Almost \u20ac89 million will support our national cultural institutions, which welcome more than 4 million visitors each year. Funding will also be provided for the Fleadh Ceoil, which will return to Belfast in 2027.  For communication and media, \u20ac15 million will support the post office network and the services it provides to communities, and funding will support the introduction of a new public warning system so emergency alerts can be sent directly to mobile phones during major incidents.  Through the national development plan work will progress on the national velodrome and badminton centre and the national cricket centre at the National Sports Campus. Investment will continue the redevelopment of the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork and the National Concert Hall discovery centre.  Whether it is through sport, culture, stronger communities, public services or modern infrastructure, the purpose of public investment is the same: to improve people's lives. The choices we have made in budget 2027 reflect our determination as a Government to ensure that public investment delivers real benefits for people.  A Budget for our People  Taken together, the budget I am announcing with the T\u00e1naiste today is a progressive one. It is a budget for working families. For the second-year running, Government has reduced the cost of childcare in a meaningful way, easing the pressure on parents, and giving them the opportunity to return to work. It also takes further steps to permanently reduce the contribution families pay towards third-level education. This means that a married couple with one child in full-time childcare, both working and with a combined net income of \u20ac95,000, can expect to see a gain of over \u20ac3,500 next year, a 3.7% increase, because of the decisions we have taken today.  This budget protects lower paid workers. A single person with a minimum wage job and a net income of \u20ac26,000 will see a 5% increase in their income next year because of the increase in the minimum wage and the tax changes made. This budget protects the most vulnerable in our society, reducing income inequality and the at-risk-of-poverty rate. Households with the lowest incomes will see an increase of almost 4%. The incomes of lone-parent households, pensioner households and people with a disability will all see an increase because of the decisions we are taking today. I am confident that the measures we are committing to today, together with the tax changes announced by the T\u00e1naiste, will make a real difference in people's lives and in their pockets and improve how public services are delivered.  Public Service Pay  None of the ambition I have set out today can be achieved without the people who deliver our public services. The State is and will continue to be a good employer. The Government wants to constructively work with workers' representatives to secure a new public service agreement that is fair to public servants, fair to taxpayers and sustainable for our economy. As I have already set out, budget 2027 is one that protects living standards in what are uncertain times. Government, unions and representative associations must now focus on delivering an agreement without further delay.  The most recent public service pay agreement made important progress on protecting the living standards of public servants and it is Government's intention that any successor agreement should make further progress for public servants across our country. Industrial action in the public service has been ongoing for almost a week now and while I understand the strength of feeling, every effort should be made to avoid disruption of services to the public.  I have made today a significant provision in the package for public service pay. This demonstrates my seriousness and, indeed, the seriousness of Government, in our desire to reach a new agreement that responds to the issues that have been raised. I would now call on ICTU and other associations to match this intent by re-engaging as a matter of urgency and standing down the ongoing industrial action.  Closing Remarks Focail Scoir  Bh\u00ed tr\u00e1thanna sa saol nuair a b'\u00e9igean d'\u00c9irinn f\u00e9achaint n\u00edos faide n\u00e1 na d\u00fashl\u00e1in a bh\u00ed d\u00edreach amach romhainn agus cinneadh a dh\u00e9anamh faoin gcine\u00e1l t\u00edr a bh\u00ed ag teast\u00e1il uainn. There have been moments in our history when Ireland has had to look beyond the immediate challenges before us to decide what kind of country we wanted to become. The generation of Lemass recognised that Ireland could not secure its future simply by managing the structures it had inherited. They questioned assumptions, removed barriers, opened our economy and prepared Ireland for a future that was only beginning to emerge. Today, in very different circumstances, that responsibility falls to us.  We are fortunate to live through a period of remarkable prosperity but prosperity is not, in itself, a purpose. Previous generations were challenged to create prosperity. Our generation will be judged by what we do with it, not simply by how much money was available to us, and not simply by how much we spent, but by what we built, what we changed and the positive difference we made. We have an opportunity to turn today's prosperity into something more enduring, in the homes and infrastructure of a growing country, better and more responsive public services, a productive and competitive economy, and public finances strong enough to withstand the challenges that will inevitably come.  We cannot know precisely what Ireland will look like in 20 or 30 years but we can decide whether we enter that future prepared. That is the purpose of budget 2027. It is to protect people today, to build the foundations of tomorrow, and to reform our State so that it is ready for the future. Is annamh a fhaigheann muid deis mar seo: is \u00e9 sin for\u00e1s n\u00e1isi\u00fanta fadt\u00e9armach a dh\u00e9anamh de thr\u00e9imhse lean\u00fanach den rath. If we use this moment wisely, the prosperity of this generation can become the foundation for the success of the next. I commend this budget to the House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Amharcfaidh oibrithe agus teaghlaigh ar an ch\u00e1inaisn\u00e9is seo agus cuirfidh siad ceist shimpl\u00ed amh\u00e1in orthu f\u00e9in: c\u00e9n difear a dh\u00e9anfaidh s\u00e9 seo i mo shaol i nd\u00e1ir\u00edre? An mbeidh s\u00e9 n\u00edos fusa dom na bill\u00ed a \u00edoc? An mbeidh an c\u00edos n\u00edos inacmhainne? An mbeidh m\u00e9 \u00e1balta an teach a choinne\u00e1il te an geimhreadh seo? An mbeidh seans ag mo ph\u00e1ist\u00ed teach d\u00e1 gcuid f\u00e9in a cheannach? Ar nd\u00f3igh, do go leor daoine amuigh ansin, is \u00e9 an freagra a bheas acu n\u00e1 \u201cN\u00ed bheidh\u201d. Is f\u00e9idir cur s\u00edos a dh\u00e9anamh ar an ch\u00e1inaisn\u00e9is seo i gc\u00faig fhocal \u2013 \u201cImithe sula bhfaigheann t\u00fa \u00e9\u201d. Beidh na bearta c\u00e1inaisn\u00e9ise seo imithe nuair a bheidh daoine ag pl\u00e9 leis na bill\u00ed leictreachais, an c\u00edos, an taisteal agus iad ag na pumpa\u00ed peitril agus na cuntair sna siopa\u00ed. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 soil\u00e9ir nach dtuigeann an Rialtas an br\u00fa at\u00e1 ar oibrithe agus teaghlaigh mar n\u00edl aon phac\u00e1iste sa ch\u00e1inaisn\u00e9is seo le dul i ngleic leis na costais mhaireacht\u00e1la. Bh\u00ed ceannaireacht de dh\u00edth ar na daoine. Bh\u00ed f\u00edorghn\u00edomh de dh\u00edth orthu ach, ina \u00e1it sin, fuair siad tuilleadh den rud c\u00e9anna ar\u00eds.  Workers and families will look at this budget and ask one simple question: am I any better off? They will not mean in a Government press release, but in real life. When the bills are paid, when the month is over, that is the real test, and this budget fails it completely. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Budgets are about choices: who is put first and who gets left behind. Time and time again, this Government leaves ordinary Irish people behind: those who keep Ireland moving, those who work hard and are trying to build a life for themselves here at home. The Government is hell-bent on making life harder with the choices it makes. With its leaks all weekend, this Government has talked about giving \u20ac750 back to workers in a tax break. The Minister, though, knows fine well that the majority of Irish workers will not get a sniff of that \u20ac750, because the majority of Irish workers do not earn enough money to avail of that tax break in relation to the bands. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  The majority of Irish workers, over 1.5 million, who the Government has left abandoned in this budget, will get less than \u20ac250 in a tax break. That is an insult. The Minister, then, has the cheek to stand here and say that this is a budget for workers. It is nothing of the sort. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputies  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  It is less than \u20ac5 a week at a time when people have seen price increase after price increase over the past year. That is the reality behind the Government's spin. Workers and families are looking at what they will actually have left, and that is where this budget completely fails the test.  In fact, it can be summed up in five simple words: gone before you get it.  T\u00e1 s\u00e9 imithe sula bhfaigheann daoine \u00e9.  People do not live on budget day headlines. They live on what is left in their bank accounts at the end of the month. It is clear that the Government just does not get it. None of the Cabinet understands the pressure and scale of the pressure that ordinary families are under. If Ministers did, we would see the Minister for Finance announce a cost-of-living package that would take immediate effect. Instead, what he presented is less than \u20ac250 for the majority of workers as a serious answer to the cost-of-living pressure that workers and families are facing.  The same test applies to pensioners. An increase of an extra \u20ac10 weekly was announced for the pension, but the Minister knows as well as I know that prices are rising higher than that and that inflation at the minute is 3.9% in this State. Pensioners are going to be worse off in real life as a result of the Government's choices. T\u00e1 pinsin\u00e9ir\u00ed dul a bheith f\u00e1gtha n\u00edos boichte san fh\u00edorshaol. The Government knows this. It knows that pensioners were already under pressure. It knew that prices were rising, yet the budget still leaves them worse off. It has deliberately chosen to make their lives harder. This is the reality.  All of this is about choices. It is about the choice to give workers a miserly tax reduction that will be wiped out by the next single household bill, the choice to leave pensioners worse off as prices rise and the choice to do nothing that will actually cut the cost of living and make life more affordable for workers and families. That is the central feature in the budget that the Minister has announced today. He is completely and utterly detached from the real lives of families and workers right across the State. People are asking simple, basic questions. Does my money stretch further? Can I pay the bills without worrying? An f\u00e9idir liom na bill\u00ed a \u00edoc gan a bheith imn\u00edoch f\u00fathu? Do I have anything left at the end of the month? For too many people, the answer after the Minister took to his feet is a simple \"No\".  Sinn F\u00e9in set out a different approach. We told the Minister what was needed, and we told him that with real leadership and action we could put workers and families first. We showed him that with the right choices, he could have made a real difference. This included a cost-of-living package aimed at making life more affordable, abolishing the universal social charge, USC, for every worker on the first \u20ac40,000 that they earn and \u20ac400 in energy credits. These are measures aimed directly at the pressures households are facing today because that pressure is real and it is happening right now. The test for this budget was whether it puts workers and families first, protects pensioners from rising prices, and responds to the cost-of-living crisis people are living with right now. On tax, it fails the test. On pensions, it fails the test. On the cost of living, it fails the test. That failure runs right through the budget.  The T\u00e1naiste said that the economy is growing, and yes, it is. The economy, however, has to serve the people of Ireland\u2019s interests. For the headline figures to mean anything, people need to see it in their real lives day to day. That is why this budget is such a missed opportunity. Nowhere can this be summed up better than when we look at the spiralling costs of energy, including fuel. We are heading into the winter and hundreds of thousands of households are already struggling to keep the lights and heat on. More than 300,000 households, a record number in this State, are behind on their electricity bills. One in four households cannot pay their gas bills. Families desperately needed this Government to act for them. They desperately needed this Government to have their back. Sinn F\u00e9in called on the Government to return the energy credits and to give households \u20ac400 off their energy bills. It refused. We called on it to tackle the excessive standing charges. There has been no action. We called on the Government to ensure that data centres pay their fair share of network costs and stop asking ordinary Irish households to pick up that tab. Again, there has been no action.  While workers and families struggle, there is no windfall tax on the enormous profits being made by energy companies ripping their customers off over and over again, and that shows the priorities of this Government. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Households are being told to tighten their belts, while companies are making extraordinary profits and being left untouched by Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il. That, a chairde, is a political choice. The Government is deciding to take a side, and it is very clear which side it is on. Ireland should not be the country where families face the highest electricity bills in Europe while energy companies pocket bumper profits. Bh\u00ed s\u00e9 de dh\u00edth ar theaghlaigh go ngn\u00edomh\u00f3dh an Rialtas. D\u2019iarr Sinn F\u00e9in ar an Rialtas na creidmheasa fuinnimh a thabhairt ar ais, ach dhi\u00faltaigh s\u00e9. D\u2019iarr muid go nd\u00e9anfadh s\u00e9 beart faoi na t\u00e1ill\u00ed seasta iomarcacha ach n\u00edl dada sa ch\u00e1inaisn\u00e9is seo faoi sin.  The same failure can be seen in relation to fuel. A fill of home heating oil, and I have told the Minister many times, is now over \u20ac700 dearer than it was at the start of the year. For many families, that money simply is not there. They do not have it. What is his response? It is less than \u20ac50 of a reduction on the cost of a refill. That is an insult. It is nowhere near the scale of the crisis. He knows the price of kerosene went up \u20ac45 the day before las and he has come back with a \u20ac50 reduction in the cost of home heating oil, despite the fact that he knows that with the stroke of a pen he could do four times that. He has it within his gift. Sinn F\u00e9in has been calling for the past six months on he Minister to get rid of carbon tax on home heating oil as these prices skyrocketed. He refused to do this time and time again. If he did, it would deliver up to \u20ac200 per house at this point in time. He dismissed that proposal time and time again because he said it was the carbon tax. Instead, we got months of delays and what is not even a half measure today.  The Government then says: \"But we are protecting people with fuel allowance\" It boasts about an extra \u20ac5 on the fuel allowance. It is far too low for a start. Let us dig deeper behind the Minister's spin in relation to this. The situation is actually worse. He has calculated the fuel allowance on the basis of 28 weeks. The fuel allowance season this year is 32 weeks. Does the Minister know what that means for a family? Even with this \u20ac5 increase, they are going to be \u20ac12 worse off. Now, that is some brass neck from the Government on this. It has shortened the fuel allowance season by four weeks and then pretended it is actually bailing out people by increasing the amount by \u20ac5.  They are worse off.  Ansin, t\u00e1 na pumpa\u00ed peitreal againn. Is \u00e9 an praghas ar pheitreal n\u00e1 \u20ac2.20 i go leor \u00e1iteanna ar fud an St\u00e1it agus t\u00e1 an Rialtas ag s\u00fail le moladh m\u00f3r \u00f3 dhaoine nach bhfuil s\u00e9 dul a dh\u00e9anamh ruda\u00ed n\u00edos deacaire agus na praghsanna a chur suas. Caithfidh tiom\u00e1naithe a gcarranna a \u00fas\u00e1id le dul ag obair agus na p\u00e1ist\u00ed a fh\u00e1g\u00e1il ag an scoil. Ba ch\u00f3ir don Rialtas praghsanna a ghearradh tuilleadh ag na pumpa\u00ed. When we look at the prices at the pumps, we see that this has been a burning issue for people, forcing the Government into action only when people had to rise up and protest because the Government refused to understand and refused to listen to the pressure ordinary people were under. Many forecourts are now charging \u20ac2.20 for a litre of diesel, yet the Minister for Finance is expecting a pat on the back for not putting up the prices any further and telling people that there will be no further taxes this winter. He does not tell them that he is actually going to put the price up in December because he is reintroducing the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, levy. He will then start to increase it incrementally from the start of February through four different increases. If the Minister understood the pressure people were under, he would be standing up today saying the Government understood that motorists, particularly in rural areas, needed their cars. They need the car to go to work, to drop the kids to school and to go to the hospital appointment. The Minister would also say the Government understood the pressure people were under and the fact that the surpluses in the State were the result of their collective efforts, and that that was why the Government would have their backs and reduce further the prices of petrol and diesel, as well as those of home heating oil and green diesel, but it refuses because it simply does not get it.  For hundreds of thousands of people, driving is not optional. Delaying planned increases is simply not good enough. People needed the prices brought down, and the Minister should have cut the price of diesel and petrol by 10 cent. He should have supported our farming community by reducing the price of green diesel by the maximum amount, another 17 cent. His Department has acknowledged time and again that reductions in fuel prices help reduce inflation because, when diesel prices rise, transport and business costs and food prices rise, and eventually that bill lands with workers and families.  Behind today's crisis is also a deeper failure. For years now, we have heard grand announcements about renewable energy. If we look behind the curtain and look at the reality, we see that not a single offshore wind project has been delivered. A country that should be a renewable energy powerhouse, creating jobs, strengthening our energy security and bringing down bills, is lagging so far behind. Where is the ambition in this year's budget? It is simply not there. Sinn F\u00e9in called for the Government to introduce three quarters of a billion euro in additional investment in renewable energy, but it has not been done. Instead, after years of Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il promises, ordinary households continue to remain exposed to extraordinary energy costs. Workers and families are the ones who have to pick up the tab for the Government's failure.  The Government has been talking non-stop about workers in this budget. The spin machine has gone into overdrive and the headlines in the newspapers are that every worker is getting \u20ac750. We know that that simply is not true. After the Government abandoned those very same workers last year, what it has come forward with this year is an insult. The Minister has stated clearly in his documents that the majority of workers will get just above \u20ac200 of a tax break. That is an insult. The Minister tries to tell them, talking straight, that this is a worker's budget. How can it be a worker's budget if the Government understands the pressure they are under? How can the Minister genuinely turn around to any workers who have been struggling, getting up early and working on construction sites, in our shops, in retail or on the factory floor and tell them that the majority of workers \u2013 1.5 million of them \u2013 get a tax break of just about \u20ac200? It is an absolute insult. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, the Government has chosen to leave them short-changed. Last year, it told them to wait. This year, it is giving them the crumbs off the table. It is an insult in the face of relentless price increase after price increase.  Let me refer to the question many of them will ask, having heard the message from the Minister. I will ask it on behalf of the 1.5 million workers whose value the Government thinks is just a \u20ac200 tax break. Did they too not get up early in the morning? Did they too not work hard? Do they too not deserve a break? Does the Minister genuinely believe that \u20ac200 cuts it for them? We are talking about people who keep this country moving and who work every single day to try to do their best. The Government could have done more for them and it was possible to do it. The best way to have done so was by abolishing the USC on the first \u20ac40,000 that every worker earned in this State. That would put \u20ac733 on average into the pockets of workers. It is the best way to make sure that workers feel the benefits in their payslips.  There is also an area in this budget where the Government has been completely and utterly lacking, and that is housing. The urgency in relation to this crisis is nowhere to be seen in this housing budget. We are in a housing emergency, a crisis that is reshaping how an entire generation lives. Young people remain in childhood bedrooms because they cannot afford to leave. Couples with good jobs cannot afford to buy a home any more. People are postponing having children because they have nowhere secure they can call home to raise them. Families are handing over huge amounts of their income every single month in extortionate rents. Teachers and nurses cannot afford homes near where they work. First-time buyers are now typically approaching the age of 40 before they can buy a home. That is probably the biggest indictment of the Government's failure in terms of policy. Think about that for a minute. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  That is not true. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  After years of paying rent, saving and watching house prices climb faster and faster, they still do not have the deposits they need. They have had years of being told that they have to put their lives on hold. That demanded a massive response from the Government, a massive amount of understanding, a bold intervention, a budget that said \"Enough\", a budget that would allow us to build homes at scale, a budget that understood where people are at, a budget that said we were going to make home ownership affordable again, a budget that would protect renters, a budget that would bring vacant and derelict houses back into use, and a budget that would treat housing as a basic need rather than an investment opportunity. What did we get from Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael? We got no increased funding for building homes. None. Not a bit. In the middle of a housing emergency, this is not a budget designed to turn the housing crisis around. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  That is not true. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  After years of failure, the Government still clings to the broken model: more tax breaks, more subsidies, more incentives and more public money for developers, institutional investors and corporate landlords. Let us look at the Government's record. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Eleven thousand social houses----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  The Taoiseach should look at his record. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I am looking at it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Let us look at it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  It is much better. Then thousand seven hundred----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  How does the Taoiseach like this for a record? House prices are soaring under his leadership. That is a fact. Rents are soaring under his leadership. That is a fact. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":" A Deputy","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" A Deputy  Deputy Doherty is wrong again. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Mortgage burdens have grown. That is another fact. Homelessness has risen. Does the Taoiseach accept that as a fact? Home ownership has moved further beyond the reach of working people. Homes are places \u2014 this is what the Taoiseach does not get \u2014 where people should be able to live, raise their families and grow old together. The Government has turned homes into commodities. It has allowed institutional investors and speculators to come in and make profits off the misery and hardship of ordinary Irish people. The Government has taken the wrong side. Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael have tried it time and again, the thinking being that the crisis will be solved by giving more tax breaks to speculators, bailing out the bankers and helping the landlords. The crisis is getting worse. The Taoiseach needs to understand this and should have acted in this budget to get it right.  What has the Government done instead? It has given renters a miserly \u20ac150 increase in the renter's tax credit. Does it know how much rents are increasing by? Does it know what it did last year in the budget by allowing landlords to increase rents? The increase is gone before renters even get it. The Government's refusal to ban rent increases means it knows absolutely that the money goes straight into the pockets of landlords. That is exactly what is happening here.  Sinn F\u00e9in proposed real protections but the Government is on the wrong side. We wanted to see it double the renter's tax relief to \u20ac2,000. We wanted to see it ban rent increases, build social and affordable homes at scale, take hard-hitting action on vacancy and dereliction, treble investment in maintaining and improving our council homes, and support our small and medium-sized builders to get family homes built at scale. One can reshape a housing system around workers and families or it can do what the Government has done, namely, shape it around vulture funds, corporate landlords and large developers. The consequences of its choices are there for everyone to see.  There are more than 5,000 children homeless in this State today, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.  Five thousand of our children are homeless. No one should have to grow up in a hotel room and call it home. No parent should have to tell their children they cannot have their mates over because they do not have a roof over their heads, but that is the reality Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il have created in this Ireland of 2026 and it has been for many years. This crisis can absolutely be solved, but it requires urgency, scale, political will and the courage to break from the housing model that has failed ordinary people.  The same question about the Government's priorities runs through social protection. As I said, \u20ac10 on the pension and social welfare payments goes nowhere near far enough. People will be worse off and the problem is that those around the Cabinet table know that. They absolutely know that people will now struggle because of the choices they have made. We needed to see an increase of \u20ac15, which Sinn F\u00e9in called for. Pensioners living alone should have been given \u20ac20, which Sinn F\u00e9in called for, and people on disability allowance should have seen their payment increase by \u20ac25. They also needed immediate lump sums because the cost-of-living crisis is happening right now. Sinn F\u00e9in called for a cost-of-living package to be delivered this year, a \u20ac300 lump sum for social welfare recipients and pensioners, but again, the Government refused this. It will now force people to wait until next year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Timmy Dooley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Timmy-Dooley.S.2002-09-12","memberCode":"Timmy-Dooley.S.2002-09-12","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Timmy Dooley  And another Northern Bank raid to fund it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Timmy, when you go back to Clare, you will force people who are earning a fraction of what you earn----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Timmy Dooley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Timmy-Dooley.S.2002-09-12","memberCode":"Timmy-Dooley.S.2002-09-12","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Timmy Dooley  The same----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Many of your constituents would love to be in your situation, where they do not have to worry about how to heat their homes or put food on the table. The Government is telling people they are getting \u20ac10, which does not even keep up with the cost of rises in prices. Yesterday, hundreds of households had their electricity prices go up and 1 million will in the next week, yet you want to shout over me when I am standing up for and have the backs of ordinary people, who you are leaving high and dry. Maybe you should have a bit of respect and listen to what is being said. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputies  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  What should have been delivered is a real, meaningful cost-of-living package. Some of the Government TDs do not like to hear this truth. They like to believe the spin they live under in their little bubble. One in five children in this State is currently living in poverty - one in five children. Simon Harris spoke about surpluses of \u20ac9.5 billion. That means nothing to parents or children living in poverty. Poverty means children are growing up in homes where the money runs out before the end of the week. That is the reality. It means they are growing up in homes that are cold and they are missing out because their parents cannot provide what other families take for granted. What should have been done in this budget is targeted measures like the ones Sinn F\u00e9in put forward, including a targeted child benefit measure to tackle child poverty. Again, the Government has abandoned those families.  Let us look at the issue of disability, because nowhere is the gap between political promises and lived reality clearer than it is for people with disabilities and their families. If I were to roll back the clock and listen to budget announcement after budget announcement and the spin that came out of the Government, I would believe the Government is fantastic when it comes to the issue of disability. Then we see the lived reality. Anyone travelling past the D\u00e1il any day of the week last year was more likely than not to see children with disabilities in wheelchairs and their parents outside protesting. Families have travelled across the State to protest, campaign and plead for things their children should already have as a right, such as assessments, therapies, school places, SNAs, respite or basic support. Parents who are already carrying enormous responsibilities are forced to become campaigners, chase Departments, and protest and fight for every single little thing they should have as a right. That is the reality. It is the lived experience of their lives. They should not have to stand outside the D\u00e1il begging for the basic rights of their children. Ar son gach uile rud, n\u00ed ceart go mbeadh orthu \u00e9 sin a dh\u00e9anamh. N\u00ed ceart go bhfuil orthu seasamh taobh amuigh den D\u00e1il ag imp\u00ed bunchearta a bp\u00e1ist\u00ed.  Today, the Government continues to break the law over and over again because 23,000 children are waiting for an assessment of need beyond the statutory timeframe. Children are waiting on average for more than two years. That is two years without therapies, two years without adequate intervention, and two years without the support that could transform the life and development of the child. They are years the Government cannot give back to any child or parent. Unfortunately, what this budget has guaranteed is that again we will see more parents and children protesting outside the gates of Leinster House. We needed serious investment in disabilities. For example, the Government has not provided the funding necessary to recruit the large numbers of special needs assistants it floats. In February, \u20ac19 million was provided for 500 SNAs so how can \u20ac29 million pay for 2,339 of them today, as was claimed?  Last year, the Government left people with disabilities \u20ac1,400 worse off. What this budget offers does not even come close to undoing that damage. People with disabilities and disability organisations have repeatedly said that living with a disability comes with a permanent additional cost, including for heating, transport, equipment, care and medical costs. People with disabilities face additional costs to live an equal life whether they are in or outside employment and the Government has limited support to those dependent on social welfare and has delayed the long-promised new scheme to 2028. That is simply not good enough.  The lack of ambition continues with childcare. Where is the \u20ac200 per month childcare promised before the election? It started as a Sinn F\u00e9in proposal. Then Simon Harris adopted it. That is good, but he should deliver it. The reported capping of childcare costs at \u20ac550 is a far cry from the \u20ac200 that was promised. The Government could deliver \u20ac200 per month childcare today just by implementing the proposal the Department of Finance put to him, which is to ask the vulture funds to pay tax on the extortionate rent they charge for apartments in this city and elsewhere. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputies  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  That would pay to bring childcare costs down to \u20ac10 per day and we would still have a few million euro left. They are the political choices I would make, but the T\u00e1naiste has decided to protect the vulture funds and let families wait a bit longer before we bring in real affordable childcare. Sinn F\u00e9in has also made clear that it is not just about affordability. Spaces need to be available and that is why we argued that the Government needed to create an additional 10,000 spaces, increase the pay for childcare workers and double capital expenditure to expand capacity.  College fees should also be affordable. This is another promise Fine Gael made. Students have rightly been demanding action at third level and they were promised lower fees. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  In the North, they are going up. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  When you promised lower fees, Simon, what were they? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  They were lower than in the North. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  What were the fees you promised? When you promised lower fees, Simon, fees were \u20ac2,000. Today they are \u20ac2,500. Next year, you plan for them to be \u20ac2,350. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  That is not true. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  In anyone's books, that is not going down, Simon. That is going up. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  They are lower than in the North. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  I know you are good at spin, but that is the reality. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  You are not bad yourself at the bit of spin. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  The health service presents another brutal reality for workers and families. People pay their taxes, their GPs and their dentists. They pay for their medicines, scans and private treatments over and over again. They pay for private health insurance because they believe the public system is not fit for purpose. Yet again, the Government has underfunded health in this budget. That is clear and we will pick up on that further.  Budgets are all about priorities, who gets protected, who is asked to contribute, what the Government treats as urgent and who is told yet again to wait. Workers are still facing high prices, renters are still facing record rents and families have some of the highest energy costs in Europe. Children with disabilities are still waiting for their assessments and therapies, parents and patients are still waiting for care and more than 5,000 children are still waiting for a home. These are the realities against which the budget needs to be judged, not by the press conference, spin, a glossy booklet or a ministerial soundbite. People will judge this in their homes and real lives, at their kitchen tables and in their bank accounts when the bills are paid. Sinn F\u00e9in set out different priorities: affordable energy, affordable homes, protection for renters, a pathway to home ownership, adequate support for people with disabilities, affordable and accessible childcare, a public health service that can be depended upon and a greater contribution from banks, corporate investment, energy companies and those making extraordinary profits off the backs of ordinary Irish people.  Politics is ultimately about choices. A government can accept record rents or it can bring them down. It can tolerate children growing up homeless or build the homes their families need.  It can allow energy companies to make bumper profits while families sit in cold homes or it can intervene and stand up for people. It can force the parents of children with disabilities to fight for basic supports or it can build the services that treat those children with dignity. Workers and families have spent long enough carrying the consequences of the Government's bad choices. It has been a case of one more price hike, one more rent hike, one more electricity bill and one more year waiting for a home. People were entitled to more from this budget. They were entitled to a government that understood the pressure they are under and that was prepared to act with urgency and that was prepared to take on the powerful interests rather than asking ordinary families to carry more. That is the simple test in this year's budget. It was a simple test but the Government has failed it. It was a question of whether somebody who puts in a week's work can afford a decent life. Can pensioners heat their homes? Can young people see a pathway to owning a home? Can a renter have security? Can a child with a disability get support without their family having to fight for it? Can somebody who gets really sick rely on our public services? That is what matters. That is what budget day should be about. Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il have made the wrong choices and workers and families will live with the consequences. In Sinn F\u00e9in, we believe this country can make different choices. We believe ordinary people deserve much better than what the Government has delivered here today. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  This time last year, the Ministers and all Government TDs chose to make people's lives harder. They chose to abandon working people and the ripple effect of that decision led to a year of discontent. People literally took to the streets because they could not take it any more. This discontent shows no signs of abating, with the people who provide our most necessary public services and who keep this State ticking, engaging in industrial action. Why? It is because this State has never been so rich while its people feel so poor. Let us think about that. Working hard should allow people to build good lives for themselves. It should allow them a roof over their heads, a future for their children and a bit of money left at the end of the week so they are not just about scraping by. It should allow them a decent life. However, none of that is a reality under Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael.  This week, I have heard many people refer to budget week as Christmas for politicos. If that is the case, it is the Scrooges of Christmas who sit before us here today. It does not make sense. We are a wealthy country with a budget of about \u20ac125 billion being announced today. Where has the money gone? Let us follow the money because there is money for some. If you make \u20ac5 billion in profit, like our banks, you may be all right. However, if you are among the majority of workers, who earn less than \u20ac44,000, this budget is not for you. If you are a vulture fund, ten welcome, this budget is for you. However, if you are working hard, paying sky-high rents and cannot afford a decent life, there is really nothing to see here today.  Since fuel prices shot up at the start of the year, Sinn F\u00e9in did the one thing the Government has repeatedly failed to do. We listened to people. We listened to the workers, families and businesses within our communities who are desperately struggling with the price of fuel. Right now, they are telling us that prices are putting them under pressure. Workers' pay cheques no longer stretch as far. The price of filling the car has gone way up. Hard-pressed families are unable to afford diesel for their tractors and businesses cannot absorb the endless increases in the cost of fuel. The prices we are seeing on the forecourts were unacceptable in April and they remain unacceptable now. It is not enough to just extend excise cuts. The prices on forecourts today demand a further reduction. We are telling the Government to reduce the cost of petrol and diesel by a further 10 cent per litre at the pumps.  The budget needed to put workers and families first. It needed to deal with the here and now. It needed to recognise the extent of the impact of the cost of living and to bring in measures to alleviate it. A cost-of-living package was needed but that need was ignored. We needed a cost-of-living package that meets people where they are and that acknowledges that grocery prices are far too high. The Government could have done something about it. It could have cut the price of groceries by giving 1 million households \u20ac500 to spend on getting food on the table. Instead, it has made the choice to do nothing.  The T\u00e1naiste has branded this a budget for workers or for people who work hard, but this is no budget for retail workers, care assistants, SNAs or any other hard-working people who earn less than \u20ac44,000. In fact, the majority of workers do not pay the higher rate of income tax and will not get a single cent extra as a result of these income tax band changes. The budget does not even give those workers a chance to get by, never mind get ahead. If this was a budget for workers, it would include extensive tax cuts for all workers. It would provide tax relief for every single worker by abolishing the USC on the first \u20ac40,000 of income.  That should ring alarm bells but alarm bells absolutely need to start ringing in Government with regard to our young people. Our future lies in the hands of our young people and they are telling us that they do not see a future here at home. They are telling us that they are considering emigrating in their droves. Seven out of ten young people believe they would have a better quality of life abroad. There can be no worse indictment of a government than that. Youth employment is increasing and is predicted to rise further. Young people are worried about housing, the cost of living and jobs.  I will read a quote for the Ministers. I think it is worth listening to.  I wanted to abolish college fees.  [...]  I'm now committing to getting rid of the student registration fee. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I am. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  The T\u00e1naiste said those words. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  They are coming down "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  On 21 November 2024, eight days before the last general election, he told TikTok viewers that. He then asked people to vote Fine Gael so that he could get on with that plan. They were great words. What happened? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  They were reduced today. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  Was it a game of \"Simon says but Simon does not do\"? Was it just pre-election rhetoric and a promise he knew well he would not keep? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  They are coming down, Mair\u00e9ad. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  In the first budget after that, with Fine Gael in government, the Government increased fees by \u20ac500. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  We did not. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  The T\u00e1naiste went back on his word. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  That is not true. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  The T\u00e1naiste and all of those on the other side of the Chamber may shrug their shoulders, laugh----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  No one is laughing. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  -----and say \"That is okay. These things happen\", but it matters. Being straight and direct with people matters. Making a difference in young people's lives matters. If young people want to go to third level education, they should have that choice. It should not be based on where they live, what their parents do, their background or anything like that. People should have the right to choose their future. It should not be up to a finance Minister, a public expenditure Minister or a budget to stop them from doing that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Or a First Minister. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  The T\u00e1naiste is now the Minister for Finance. This is his first budget in that role. He has power and influence, yet with the first chance he has had, he has abandoned his promise. He has abandoned our young people. A \u20ac150 decrease in student fees still leaves those fees higher than when the T\u00e1naiste made that promise. Does he know what else his higher? Rents, the cost of groceries and youth unemployment, which are all key factors in determining whether a young person can go to college. Student fees must finally be abolished. Sinn F\u00e9in would immediately, today----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Does that apply in the North as well? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  -----cut fees in half and fully abolish them by September of next year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  What about in the North? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  I cannot hear the Minister because I am speaking and it is my speaking time. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Is the abolishment for the whole island? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  This is the decisive action our young people need. They need a clear and stable future, not broken election promises and gimmicks.  The Minister talks about working hard. Our greatest resource is our young people. That includes our young people who want to build a better future for themselves and for every one of us, which is to be commended. Critical to our future are the hands that will build that future. Our tradespeople are known across the world for their skills and hard work but too many apprentices have told me that they do not feel valued here at home. Delays are now synonymous with our apprenticeship system. I will raise the case of one young apprentice who was due to begin his off-the-job training in January 2025. This was cancelled and he was told he would have to wait an indefinite period of time to access this training. He has now finally received notice and is set to begin training 22 months after he was originally supposed to start. That is not good enough. That is not the way our young people should be treated. I was really struck by the words of one young apprentice who contacted me.  He said:  It is not just one trade either. Apprentices across all trades in Ireland have been dealing with issues like this for years and this is only one of many problems. There is also the accommodation crisis, apprentices being sent to the opposite side of the country for training who have little or no choice over their training centre, long waiting lists and plenty more that rarely gets talked about. On top of that, many apprentices are expected to survive the first two years on low wages while trying to cope with the rising cost of living, rent, transport, fuel and everyday expenses. The reality is that many apprentices face challenges that people outside of the system never see and it is time these issues get the attention they deserve.  Guess what? Those are the people who get up early in the morning, work a hard day and build the infrastructure and the housing our communities so desperately need. They need to be treated with the respect they deserve. Apprenticeship fees must be abolished and they must be abolished now. We must double the travel and accommodation allowance for apprentices and increase capacity in our system. It would not be tolerated for a law degree or medical degree to take two years longer than what a student signed up for and that should no longer be tolerated for our apprenticeships. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputies  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  Our apprentices will build the housing we need. Housing is the biggest social crisis facing our society today. Tens of thousands of working people are unable to put a roof over their heads. Tens of thousands of families are paying rip off rents and sky-high mortgages. Tens of thousands of people are languishing on council housing waiting lists and 17,885 people, including 5,830 children trapped in emergency homeless accommodation. There is an entire generation locked out of affordable homes, trapped in their parents' box bedroom or forced to emigrate. Nowhere is this Government's failures more clearly demonstrated than in housing.  What did we get from the budget today? Did we get increased investment to deliver more homes? Did we get new policy initiatives to reduce homelessness? Did we get real relief for hard-pressed renters? No, no and no. The lack of secure housing impacts on every facet of a person's life and now it is impacting on every generation of our people. Spiralling numbers of children trapped in homelessness has been accepted by the Government as a new reality. That cannot be normalised. Now, we see pensioner homelessness skyrocketing. Homeless support groups have called pensions the new face of homelessness and they are right. That cannot be accepted. A generation that is now moving from the workforce into receiving their pension is trying navigate an insecure housing market with sky-high rents and the Government's response is a \u20ac10 increase in the pension? Something does not add up. The one guarantee the Government can give is that the housing crisis it has created through its failed policies will not discriminate by age.  Let us look at what this budget says. This is not a budget to fix housing. This is a budget that will make the crisis worse. Budget 2027 could have been the start of a real effort to fix housing. It could have been a housing budget with ambition and determination. Instead, it is just a rehash of what came before it, which means rising rents and housing prices. Today should have been about putting the housing needs of workers and families first but once again, Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael have sided with the vulture funds, corporate landlords and big developers.  Unfortunately, the housing crisis is not separate from domestic abuse. It shapes every decision a victim and survivor makes. It can keep someone in danger for longer and it can leave women and children in emergency accommodation with no clear way forward. Some return to an abusive partner not because they want to but because the system has offered them no real alternative. For those who leave, the cost is often enormous. Women tell us of being moved to another part of the county, forced to take their children out of school and give up their jobs, losing the very supports that help them recover. Some have been placed in local authority housing only to find themselves living within sight of the person they fled. Others move between the spare rooms and sofas of friends and family, carrying a constant feeling of being a burden but these women are not a burden. They are making extraordinary decisions under impossible pressure and doing whatever it takes to keep themselves and their children safe. That strength deserves a system that matches it. No one should have to choose between abuse and homelessness. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Deputies: Hear, hear."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  One of the most shocking developments that came out of the budget last year was the decision to leave people with disabilities \u20ac1,400 worse off. It was absolutely shameful. We know people with disabilities face unavoidable additional costs just to live equally and this needs to be addressed; not by half measures, like the insulting \u20ac500 annual lump sum not delivered until January but by a new and permanent cost-of-disability payment scheme separate to income replacement supports for those unable to work due to disability. It should be available to every person with a disability who incurs additional costs, whether they are in employment or not and whether they are dependent on social welfare income supports or not. It should be a regular payment paid at rates that actually reflects the costs people incur. The Government had the opportunity to rectify that this year and finally introduce a proper cost-of-disability payment; it chose not to.  The Government promised parity of esteem between mental and physical health but there is no commitment to deliver the funding and resources necessary to make that a reality. Real parity means 24-7 mental health accident and emergency units, where no one is turned away or told to wait until the morning to access crisis intervention services. It also means giving mental health support services access to secure, long-term funding that they need to support those who rely on them. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental health illness and we only have three in-patient beds, meaning this critical care is a postcode lottery. I raised this with the Ministers previously. I expect them to listen and I expect them to act. Women who suffer with endometriosis have been failed for generations. Women have come together to demand more. They demand world-class endometriosis care here at home. Today could have been a turning point. The Government should have announced \u20ac20 million to deliver endometriosis services in this State, finally ending this injustice and delivering care for every woman who needs it.  What hides behind these glossy pages in this book is a budget that has been utterly butchered. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, has taken a knife to our public services and slashed essential spending across nearly every Department. These are not cuts to additional measures Ministers have sought. These are cuts to the existing allocations our public services rely on. No Department has been dragged across the chopping board more than the Department of Health. The Minister cut \u20ac170 million off its base allocation to fund the education levy. It is a completely impossible ask, given that this year, the HSE is running hundreds of millions of euro over its allocated budget. The Government has managed to create a situation where core services are underfunded but hundreds of millions of euro in waste and inefficiency is driving a massive overspend. This is a result of Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael Governments who have failed, year after year, to budget for our health service.  Cuts through underfunding are already in motion and we can see their disastrous impacts already. In Galway, there are dozens of newly qualified nurses and midwives without job offers, despite significant vacancies. This is a real impact of the supposed efficiency and reform proposal. What an absolute disgrace. It is breathtaking inefficiency. It makes no sense to train nurses and midwives, have vacancies in our hospitals and community services and then leave graduates who want to work in public health services waiting for contracts. They have been loud about this. The Ministers know about this. Separately in Cork, the CEO of Cork University Hospital has already warned the Government that the HSE spending and recruitment freezes would increase the risk to patient safety. Let us make no mistake about this. These cruel cuts will directly impact patients who will be damned to more uncertainty, longer waiting lists and greater safety risks.  The Government should be working towards an accessible, affordable model of healthcare that establishes the capacity needed to look after our population. In practice, this means a long-term plan for our health service and taking immediate action this year. That includes 80,000 new medical cards, 400 additional acute hospital beds and ramping up investment in GP, primary care, community services, ambulances, mental health and children's care. The budget again fails to set out a sustainable model of health funding that provides certainty around staffing and service delivery, builds capacity in hospitals and crucially, reduces the cost of healthcare for workers and families. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  I could not let today pass without talking about the public pay deal, or the lack thereof.  The Government talks about a budget for people who get up early every morning and work hard. Give me a break. It is willing to go without negotiating a pay deal with the hard-working people who get up early and go to work in our public services. It is outrageous that the State generates billions of euro in surpluses and at the same time the Government is condemning our nurses, teachers, garda\u00ed and all other public sector workers to becoming poorer. Their wages are being entirely eroded by the cost of living. The Minister can shake his head but it is the truth. This year alone, public sector wages will have decreased when compared to inflation. These hard-working people have been pushed to take industrial action by the Government and by the Minister, Deputy Chambers, as he refused to sit down with the unions to discuss pay. What absolute arrogance. Let it not be forgotten that the first thing that this self-serving Government voted for was a bumper \u20ac16 million pay rise for those on the Government Front Bench, yet the Minister has the brass neck to deny our nurses, teachers and garda\u00ed a fair pay deal. It is truly one rule for the Government and another rule for everybody else.  Ba ch\u00f3ir go mbeadh an Ghaeltacht mar chro\u00edl\u00e1r f\u00eds chult\u00fartha, oidhreachta agus teanga an Rialtais ach n\u00ed h\u00e9 sin mar at\u00e1. T\u00e1 g\u00e9arch\u00e9im eiseach in \u00e1r gceantair Ghaeltachta mar gheall ar an nganntanas tith\u00edochta de theaghlaigh \u00f3ga a theasta\u00edonn uathu an ch\u00e9ad ghl\u00fain eile a th\u00f3g\u00e1il le Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht. Faoi l\u00e1thair, n\u00ed f\u00e9idir teach a th\u00f3g\u00e1il, a cheannacht n\u00f3 a fh\u00e1il ar c\u00edos sa nGaeltacht. Caithfear \u00e9 sin a athr\u00fa. Teasta\u00edonn plean uaillmhianach tith\u00edochta in\u00e1r nGaeltachta\u00ed agus ar \u00e1r n-oile\u00e1in amach \u00f3n gc\u00f3sta. Teasta\u00edonn tith\u00edocht sh\u00f3isialta, tithe ar phraghas r\u00e9as\u00fanta agus deiseanna tithe a th\u00f3g\u00e1il. T\u00e1 buninfreastrucht\u00far l\u00e1rnach ag teast\u00e1il d\u00f3 sin. N\u00ed f\u00e9idir le daoine saol a th\u00f3g\u00e1il nuair nach bhfuil s\u00e9 sin ann. N\u00edl s\u00e9 s\u00e1ch maith go n-im\u00edonn an leictreachas, an t-uisce agus an signal f\u00f3in chomh luath is at\u00e1 stoirm ann. C\u00e9n plean at\u00e1 ag an Rialtas le dul i ngleic leis sin? G\u00e9arch\u00e9im at\u00e1 ann munar f\u00e9idir leat glaoch ar 999 th\u00e9is stoirm. T\u00e1 todhcha\u00ed na Gaeltachta i mbaol d\u00e1 bharr, agus m\u00e1 t\u00e1imid d\u00e1ir\u00edre faoin nGaeltacht a chaomhn\u00fa caithfidh an Rialtas dul i ngleic leis an ng\u00e9arch\u00e9im seo.  Teasta\u00edonn acmhainn\u00ed, infheist\u00edocht agus toil pholaiti\u00fail. \u00d3n m\u00e9id at\u00e1 feicthe agam, n\u00edl an toil pholaiti\u00fail ann. Teasta\u00edonn ciste infreastrucht\u00fair don Ghaeltacht. Caithfimid an maoini\u00fa cu\u00ed a thabhairt d\u2019\u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta chun d\u00e9ile\u00e1il le c\u00farsa\u00ed infreastrucht\u00fair chomh maith agus caithfear sc\u00e9im labhairt na Gaeilge a thabhairt ar ais \u00e1it a bhfaigheann teaghlaigh \u20ac500 do gach p\u00e1iste. Caithfear na me\u00e1in Ghaeilge a mhaoini\u00fa i gceart freisin. Is me\u00e1in iad seo a th\u00e1inig chun tosaigh tr\u00ed ghluaiseacht chearta shibhialta na Gaeltachta nuair a bh\u00ed an t-\u00e9ileamh ann cearta daoine a thabhairt do mhuintir na Gaeltachta, agus seasann muid leis an \u00e9ileamh sin. An rud a theasta\u00edonn \u00f3 mhuintir na Gaeltachta n\u00e1 a bheith in ann fanacht ina gceantair dh\u00fachasacha f\u00e9in, \u00e1it ina bhfuil siad in ann baile a bheith acu, p\u00e1iste a bheith acu agus a gclann a th\u00f3g\u00e1il. Ba ch\u00f3ir don Rialtas tac\u00fa leo.  In an increasingly unstable world, self-sufficiency and what we can deliver at home is becoming more and more important. Food security is a critical component of that. This budget needs to help farmers and so does the multi-annual financial framework. We need the Government to be a strong voice for farming both here and at an EU level. We need a stand-alone CAP that is separate from the proposed national partnership plans and that retains its current two-pillar structure, and CAP cannot be cut. There is already talk of a 22% cut in CAP and just last week, some EU countries came together seeking for it to be cut further. At the start of the Irish Presidency of the EU, the Government said it would use the Presidency to deliver a strong CAP for farmers. Only now, we are in a worse position that before it started. Make that make sense.  Generation renewal needs to become an action rather than a slogan. Every year, young farmers tell us that the future of farming for the next generation is becoming increasingly difficult. Today's announcement on generational renewal will do little to attract young farmers to take on farming as a career. It will not help young farmers to get access to land. It will not help young farmers get established. In our alternative budget, we propose an installation aid establishment payment of \u20ac10,000 per farmer.  Irish farmers are feeling the effects of the fuel crisis, with the price of green diesel skyrocketing. The Minister should do what we called for in our alternative budget, which was to reduce the price of green diesel at the pump.  There is something that we can all agree on. We live on an incredible island, an island that has been through hard times and good times, but has always pulled through because the Irish people are resilient. Our coastal communities epitomise the resilience of the Irish people. Storms have become a more regular occurrence for any of us who live in the west and we know the damage the changes in weather can bring with storms battering through the night, loss of power, loss of telecommunications and loss of livelihoods. No one knows that like our fishing communities and our fishermen. Most people do not live in coastal communities but they have a gr\u00e1 for them. The Irish people would not want the decline of these communities. If we do not intervene now, we will lose a massive part of our heritage. As the Minister knows, inshore fishermen are already struggling with fuel and Bates. Their cost to go out to sea has increased massively while, at the same time, they are not getting a fair price for their produce. The change in climate is having a serious impact on their work, the number of days that they cannot go out fishing due to storms and the loss of income as a result. They need compensation in order to survive. We do not want them to go out in storms and risk their lives and there is a solution for this. That is an inshore fisheries stabilisation and climate adaptation scheme, which gives inshore fishermen a basic income to ensure the survival of this core component of what our island has to offer. This is the first time that our fishermen are coming forward and saying they need our support, and we should listen. Sinn F\u00e9in is saying we will support them. We are saying that we will help them to stay out on the water because we know that they are of inherent value to the Irish people.  Climate change is no longer a challenge for the future. It is one of the greatest challenges we face today. Our climate is changing in front of our eyes. Last winter, we saw some of the worst flooding in my lifetime, which put families out of their homes in Enniscorthy and caused turmoil on our roads and railways only to be followed by the hottest summer ever on record where farmers had to cope with the havoc caused by drought. \"Ireland must stop reacting to individual events and instead start preparing systemically for a climate of greater extremes\" these are not my words but the words of the Climate Change Advisory Council. The Government has failed to prepare and as a result, continues to fail to respond to extreme weather events. This budget should be packed with funding and resources directed at protecting the most-at-risk people, infrastructure and communities from our changing climate but instead of being supported, they continue to be stranded by the Government and left alone to build resilience against weather extremes without the support they urgently need.  The budget cements the haphazard approach of Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael when it comes to transport policy. There is no vision, no plan and no funding for building public transit at scale. For years, the Government has been hiking the price of petrol to get drivers out of their cars and into public transport. Now, unbelievably, the bright minds of Government are hiking the price of public transport. Working people and families are being squeezed from all sides. The Government's transport plan does not connect Ireland; it divides Ireland into those who can afford to travel and those who cannot. People who use public transport want services that are convenient, more reliable and faster. People who do not have access to public transport services want an expanded network that meets the needs of rural Ireland. This budget delivers on none of those things. It deepens the transport deficit between rural and urban communities while making transport more expensive for all.  A better Ireland is possible. There is a different way of doing things, a way that finally puts families and workers first, that values our people and that supports them to flourish. While this has been clearly lost on those sitting across from me, that hope and vision is not lost on me. That is the reason that I and those sitting beside and behind me are here and work every day to create that new Ireland, a united Ireland, an Ireland that delivers for its people, an Ireland that gives people access to healthcare when and where they need it, an Ireland that guarantees a home for its citizens. That Ireland is possible and I look forward to the day that Ireland is delivered. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cian O'Callaghan  First, I congratulate the T\u00e1naiste and his family on the great news of the arrival of his baby daughter. I wish him and his family all the best at this very happy time.  Help is on the way. That was the promise from the T\u00e1naiste; that was the spin. Today, we see the reality - talk is cheap, promises are easily broken and this Government cannot be relied upon. This budget is totally devoid of ambition. It is lacking in any new ideas. It says to people who cannot pay their soaring energy bills that they are on their own because the help that was repeatedly promised has not materialised. Instead, what we got was tinkering around the edges. There is nothing substantive to address the key issue households are facing: electricity bills, which are already the highest in Europe, are continuing to skyrocket; more than half a million households are in arrears on their energy bills; and individuals and families all across the country are facing into a bleak and cold winter.  I want to cut through some of the spin and nonsense here for a second. Let us not forget that last year, the Government increased college fees by \u20ac500. This year, it will bring down the cost by \u20ac150 and shamelessly try to spin that as a win. Last year, the Government removed the \u20ac400 payment for disabled people. This year, it announces a \u20ac500 payment and expects a round of applause. After Fianna F\u00e1il promised to increase the pension by \u20ac12 per week every year in government, it leaked to the media that it was going to be \u20ac7.50 in a cynical attempt to manage expectations and give cover for providing an increase of only \u20ac10. Help is on the way, just not now. For reduced childcare costs, people will have to wait almost another year. None of this is the hallmark of a Government that has a coherent plan. The only plan is to cynically mess around with people who are relying on the Government to stick to its word.  There are hundreds of thousands of people all over the country who have never had difficulty paying their bills but who are now barely keeping their heads above water. They are cutting back on essentials, trying desperately to make ends meet. They are lying awake at night worrying about keeping the lights on. Those people need this Government to throw them a lifeline, but they have been ignored.  In the past year, the Social Democrats asked the Government to introduce a targeted \u20ac400 energy credit. This would be paid to those low- and middle-income households that really need the support. It would not meet the full cost of soaring energy prices, but it would provide some immediate relief and breathing room. That is what help in this budget would have looked like, but the Government refused to do it.  Last week, the Government voted down the Social Democrats' proposal that would have paid for these measures, namely, a windfall tax on the excess profits of energy companies that are enjoying a bonanza as energy prices rocket. These bumper profits for energy companies are being made on the backs of struggling households all over the country, and the message from this Government to those companies is to let it rip. The T\u00e1naiste told struggling households that help was on the way, but the only help from the Government was to give those energy companies a free rein. They are being allowed to continue their immoral profiteering.  The Government is failing to insulate people from future energy price shocks. What we needed in this budget was some bold ideas and radical thinking so that solar could be ramped up and rolled out at the scale required. We know that solar panels can reduce a household's energy bills by up to \u20ac750 a year. That is a huge potential saving for people this year, next year and every year. However, far too few people can afford the upfront cost of solar panels and this budget has failed to help them. The Social Democrats has a solar for all plan that could make a real difference. It would double the solar grants, make solar free for the households most at risk of energy poverty, and fast-track the roll-out of plug-in solar across the country. However, the Government has refused to adopt it, despite the fact we have shown how this could be paid for. The Government could have tripled the bank levy so that the banks making billions in profits every year and paying almost no corporation tax would have made a fair contribution. The Government could have introduced a levy on data centres. They are sucking up a huge proportion of our electricity and driving up people's bills. That would have been the fair thing to do to spread the burden and take pressure off ordinary households, but again, the Government has failed to act.  We have much to do to meet our climate targets. We need to invest in solar, renewable energy, retrofitting, public transport and many other areas, but instead of making those critical investments now that would pay dividends in the future, this Government is penny pinching. Jacking up fares for public transport is the perfect example of this regressive and short-term thinking. These fare increases could have been stopped with investment of just \u20ac70 million. That figure represents just 0.05% of the Government's annual budget for the year. The Government refused to cover the cost. It wants commuters up and down the country to dig deeper instead. Rather than making life more affordable for people using public transport, the Government is deliberately choosing to increase costs. That choice will not be forgotten, and commuters on buses and trains across the country will have a daily reminder of it from January.  During the last election, Fianna F\u00e1il promised to deliver a pension increase of \u20ac12 per week every year. It broke that promise at the first available opportunity when pensions were only increased by \u20ac10 last year, and now it is failing pensioners again. Does anyone remember a time when Fianna F\u00e1il had the back of pensioners, when Fianna F\u00e1il backbenchers stood up for the people who worked so hard for this country, when Fianna F\u00e1il Ministers would listen to their backbenchers? Those days are long gone. This is a betrayal of pensioners relying on Fianna F\u00e1il to keep its word. To add insult to injury, pensioners were treated to a cruel exercise of managing expectations. The Government leaked the increase as \u20ac7.50, hoping that pensioners would then somehow accept a \u20ac10 increase. All of this is a cynical attempt to try to provide cover for breaking the promise of \u20ac12. It should be at least \u20ac15, as the Social Democrats proposed. The Government knows it, I know it and pensioners watching in today know it.  There are 260,000 children living below the poverty line when housing costs are factored in - 260,000 - yet all that this budget can offer their struggling families is a \u20ac6 increase in the child support payment. I do not know if the Ministers have been to the supermarket lately or looked at an electricity bill, but \u20ac6 will not cut it. The Social Democrats' alternative budget proposed introducing a second tier of child benefit. This would lift tens of thousands of children out of poverty permanently. Child poverty should not exist in a country with Ireland's resources. The fact that this budget is allowing it to continue is shameful.  \"Shameful\" is also the word that best describes the way that this Government has treated disabled people. Last year, the Government introduced a budget that made disabled people worse off by up to \u20ac1,400 per year. It caused huge distress and hardship. The Government slashed the incomes of disabled people despite the fact that they faced enormous and unavoidable additional costs. A report on these costs has been gathering dust in Government Buildings since 2021. It put the costs for disabled people at up to an additional \u20ac12,300 per year. Adjusted for inflation with increased costs, it is now more than \u20ac15,000 a year and rising.  All year, we were repeatedly told by the Government that it was finally going to take this issue seriously and that it was a key priority for this budget. The Taoiseach told us it would be groundbreaking. Disabled people were led to believe that this would finally be the budget to break the mould, only for the Minister, Deputy Chambers, to stand up today and tell us it was a \u20ac500 payment. This is just a rehash of the previous one-off payments that the Government abolished last year. Is this supposed to be groundbreaking? A payment that meets just 3% of the additional costs of having a disability. This is not just grossly inadequate, but insulting.  Childcare is not only a huge cost for families, but also a huge stress. There is the stress of trying to find a place, the stress parents go through having to take unpaid leave because there are no childcare places available, and the stress of trying to find the equivalent of a second mortgage every month to pay the fees. For years, the Government has been saying that reducing childcare fees is a priority, and every year families have been let down.  Parents will welcome the cuts to childcare fees that have been announced. However, they will not welcome the postponement of these price cuts for nearly a year. This is no use to parents who are under serious pressure trying to make ends meet today. Most of the tax and social welfare changes announced today will come into force in January. Why should cuts to childcare fees be any different? If this issue is a priority for the Government, then treat it as such. For six months, parents have heard leaks and drip-fed headlines about cuts to childcare fees, yet it will take the Government almost a year to introduce these cuts to childcare fees. Why must parents wait for so long for any relief?  Much more needs to be done to address capacity in the childcare sector. The Social Democrats were the first party to publish a plan to create a public model of childcare. As a country, we are an outlier in Europe, leaving childcare predominantly to the private sector. It is not the way that we treat primary or secondary education, so why should early years be any different? We want to revolutionise early years education so that every child gets the best possible start in life and we retain our highly skilled and dedicated early years workforce. This is the level of ambition that we should be seeing from the Government.  When Fine Gael was trying to get votes during the last election, it vowed to phase out college fees. There were no caveats and there was no small print. It was a simple, clear and concise promise that many people relied on, but the Government has let them down again. In last year's budget, it increased fees for every student by \u20ac500. Despite all the spin, students and their families are worse off after today's budget than they were when this Government took office. It is yet another broken promise. Why is the Government so intent on making and breaking promises?  Bh\u00ed deis ag an Rialtas inniu ach theip air leas a bhaint aisti. C\u00e1 bhfuil an c\u00fanamh do theaghlaigh at\u00e1 ag streachailt na bill\u00ed a \u00edoc n\u00f3 bia a chur ar an mbord? C\u00e9n f\u00e1th ar bhris an Rialtas a ghealltanas do phinsin\u00e9ir\u00ed maidir le m\u00e9ad\u00fa \u20ac12 sa tseachtain? Ar\u00eds eile, t\u00e1 muintir na h\u00c9ireann ligthe s\u00edos ag Rialtas nach dtuigeann na deacrachta\u00ed a bh\u00edonn ag daoine sa t\u00edr seo.  The cost-of-living crisis is pushing workers to the brink. More than 100,000 public and civil servants have been forced into industrial action because of the Government's failure to get to grips with skyrocketing prices and meaningfully engage with unions. These workers keep our schools, hospitals and public services running. It is unacceptable that the Government is not engaging with them. The last public sector pay deal expired at the end of June. How have we now reached budget day without any successor in place? It is a dereliction of duty by the Minister for public expenditure and will cause disruption for people all over the country.  The Government has been talking up tax cuts for months and how it will reward work, but it is crystal clear who is being left behind by its tax measures. According to the T\u00e1naiste's own budget documents, released today, people earning between \u20ac30,000 and \u20ac40,000 will get significantly less than those who earn more. How can he justify that? The T\u00e1naiste knows that people on between \u20ac30,000 and \u20ac40,000 are really struggling day to day with the cost of living, so why has he made sure that they do not get the same benefit as people on higher incomes? So much for helping those who need it most. They are more hollow words and empty promises.  Increasing the renter's tax credit and developer subsidies will not fix the housing crisis. What renters really need is genuinely affordable homes where they can feel safe and secure. Every year, the Government tells us about the billions of euro that it will throw at housing and how it will finally turn a corner, and every year, it becomes clearer and clearer that the problem is not the money, but the Government that is wasting it.  Homelessness, including child homelessness, rents, house prices and the age of the average first-time buyer are at record highs. A generation is living in their childhood bedrooms. Many victims of domestic and gender-based violence are being forced to remain in danger because they have nowhere else to go. The housing crisis has turned into a catastrophe and the blame rests solely with Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il.  There is no denying that the Government has thrown billions of euro at the crisis, but it has only got worse. Here is where people's money is actually going. Forty-three property-based tax measures have been launched since 2013. This year, they are set to cost close to \u20ac1.4 billion. What does the public own at the end of it? What new homes does the State have? Zero. Nothing is built, billions are spent, those at the top keep increasing their wealth, and the taxpayer picks up the bill. It is nothing short of scandalous.  The Social Democrats would build directly at scale on public land through the State and through non-profit delivery. We would pay for this by introducing a super-wealth tax on multimillionaires. Those homes would not end up in the hands of vulture funds. The money spent in 2027 would still be housing people in 2067.  There is a disaster coming down the road. The T\u00e1naiste and the wider Government know this, yet they continue to bury their heads in the sand. We are on course to hand billions of euro of Irish taxpayers' money to other European countries. That is money that will not be spent on hospitals, schools or affordable homes. It will be given over as a penalty for failing to meet the climate targets that the Government signed up to. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council examined this together. If we continue on our current path, the State faces costs of between \u20ac8 billion and \u20ac26 billion by 2030. This budget should have taken emergency actions to avoid this monumental waste of taxpayers' money. The Government's inaction is robbing the taxpayer blind.  Think about what \u20ac26 billion would build in this country. It would build tens of thousands of affordable homes. It would pay for the schools, hospital beds, renewable energy infrastructure and public transport that we desperately need. Instead, the Government is on course to waste billions of euro on fines. The most infuriating part of this is that investing in renewable energy would avoid these fines and lower people's bills. A failure to invest is unforgivable. It will have lasting impacts.  The Social Democrats would act. On top of our solar for all plan, we would invest \u20ac1 billion in wind energy. We have enough renewable resources in this country to become a net exporter of clean energy.  The Government has thrown in the towel on carbon tax. We all know the current spikes in the cost of fuel are hitting people hard and a temporary pause can be justified, but taking it off the table for the lifetime of this Government is a shameful shirking of responsibility. We have seen multiple extreme weather events this year. We are facing extreme fines from the EU for missing our climate targets. Kicking the can so far down the road cannot be justified and the repercussions are far too serious.  Sl\u00e1intecare was meant to build a single-tier health service, with people kept well in their own communities and homes, but this Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il Government has slowed its delivery to a glacial pace. The consequences are depressingly predictable. More than 100,000 people have now been waiting for more than a year on a community or primary care waiting list. People who should be treated in a health centre are ending up in a hospital instead. It is worse for the hospital, for the taxpayer and for the patient. The Social Democrats would end this debacle. Our alternative budget commits an additional \u20ac957 million to fund the Sl\u00e1intecare reform plans to provide more community therapy posts, more hospital ICU beds, and a properly resourced workforce plan.  When the economy crashed in 2008, there was reckless over-reliance on stamp duty. This made the recession deeper and more painful in Ireland. We were told that it would never happen again. Here we are, almost 20 years later, and Fianna F\u00e1il, Fine Gael and Independents are repeating those same mistakes. This time, it is a reckless over-reliance on corporation tax from a handful of companies. According to the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, just three companies accounted for 46% of all corporation tax receipts. This is a dangerous over-reliance and the risks are staring the Government in the face.  That is why we want to broaden the tax base, unlike the Government, which is recklessly narrowing it. We would introduce a super-wealth tax on multimillionaires, triple the bank levy, phase out subsidies for developers, introduce a windfall tax on energy companies and their super profits, and implement a levy on data centres.  The Government is running a country on money that could evaporate and spending it on things that leave nothing behind. If those corporation tax receipts fall away and we have not converted them into housing stock, renewable wind and solar energy, grid capacity, water infrastructure, public transport, and health capacity, then this Government will have squandered the greatest windfall in the history of this State. Future generations will not thank the Government.  Over-reliance on a small number of companies is a huge economic risk. We must scale up our indigenous SMEs. This is the key to protecting our economy. Our alternative budget takes decisive action to do just that. We would increase funding for Enterprise Ireland, increase grants for research and development, and increase funding under a disruptive technologies innovation fund.  The cost-of-living crisis may have been triggered by global events, but it has been compounded by this Government's failure to deliver. The economist, Sin\u00e9ad O'Sullivan, calls it Ireland's failure premium. It is the extraordinary price put on the taxpayer because their Government cannot deliver. Ireland behaves as if it is a poor country, and being poor means paying more, because when the State fails to provide what its people need, we end up paying over the odds to somebody else who can.  Every euro spent on an emergency workaround is a euro not spent on building the capacity that would make the workaround unnecessary. This is an enormous and sustained transfer of wealth from the general public to a small number of private companies. That is exactly what is happening. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cian O'Callaghan  That is where the money goes, and that is the answer to the question every person in this country asks: how is it that we have never been richer as a country and yet it is getting harder and harder just to get by?  The Social Democrats have a plan to do things differently. We would target meaningful supports at the households that are struggling, and we would fix the causes rather than paper over the symptoms. We would build homes that would be owned by the public and establish a public model of childcare and a community-based health service that employs its own staff. We would invest now to meet our climate targets instead of wasting billions of euro on fines in the future. We would tax wealth properly to ensure that those at the very top pay their fair share, and we would rebuild the capacity of the State to actually do things, because a state that cannot deliver is a state that will end up renting from someone who can, at a premium, forever.  The tragedy of this budget is not a lack of funding. The money is there and has been for years. The tragedy is that this Government has taken the biggest budgets in the history of the State and squandered them. The Social Democrats would break this pattern of failure. We would tackle problems head on, we would build capacity directly, and we would make Ireland more affordable permanently. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  There are hundreds of thousands of households listening in today to hear about the budget, hoping against hope that they will finally get some relief from the suffocating cost of living they are experiencing, and from the extortionate energy costs they are being crushed by. This budget has ignored them. Their cries for support with energy costs have fallen on deaf ears. The Minister and I know that those houses desperately need an energy credit to lift them out of the energy debt crisis they have found themselves in, and it has never been more necessary.  Today, more than 320,000 electricity customers are in arrears while over 180,000 gas customers are behind on their bills. It is not just those households that are in arrears that are struggling. Low-to-middle-income families all across the country just cannot keep ahead of the rising energy costs That is why the Social Democrats have consistently called for a targeted energy credit. At the same time as these workers are making impossible decisions about how they heat their homes or, indeed, if they will even be able to heat their homes, energy companies across the country are upping the price of energy again and again. Families simply cannot catch a break. They just cannot get ahead.  We already know that Irish households face some of the highest electricity prices in Europe. We also know that food prices remain under pressure, with economists warning that inflation on groceries is likely to continue into 2027. The reality for many households is simple: everything is costing more. The Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, has found that families would need \u20ac480 to escape energy poverty. That is a very similar figure to our targeted energy credit, which the Government has point blank refused to bring in despite all the need and all the evidence. However, what is even more inconceivable is that the Social Democrats have actually given the Government the mechanism to pay for this by taxing those who are benefiting the most out of this energy crisis and giving the money back to those who are suffering the most through a windfall tax on the extraordinary profits of energy companies, but the Government has refused to do that.  Families are on their hands and knees trying to make ends meet. They are worried about paying the next electricity bill. They are worried about the weekly grocery shop. They are worried about whether their wages can stretch from one month to the next. They are crying out for support and instead of providing targeted assistance to those households most under pressure, the Government has ignored them.  One area where I believe the Government has made progress is in extending the solar supports through the warmer homes scheme. I genuinely welcome that decision. For too long, the conversation about home energy upgrades has focused solely on efficiency while neglecting energy poverty, and solar panels help both. That is a positive step, and I want to acknowledge it, but it cannot stop there. While households eligible for the warmer homes scheme will now benefit from these measures, there remains a huge group of low- and middle-income families who are left behind. These families are not insulated from the cost-of-living crisis. They are working hard, paying their bills and still struggling every month, yet there is nothing in this budget that will make solar genuinely accessible to them. The Government is missing an entire cohort of households.  That is why the Social Democrats proposed our solar for all plan to increase grant supports, introduce battery storage grants, and roll out plug-in solar for those people who live in apartments or rentals. Solar is one of the quickest and most effective ways of reducing household energy costs, reducing electricity prices by over \u20ac750 per annum. Every household in this country should have an opportunity to lower its bills through clean energy. This is a practical solution that delivers real benefits for families and the climate.  What this budget ultimately reveals is a Government that is still thinking in election cycles rather than decades. Time and time again we see the same pattern - too much focus on managing the immediate headline and not enough focus on solving the underlying problem. Good governance is not simply about responding to today's crisis, but about preparing people for tomorrow's challenges. That is where this budget, unfortunately, falls short. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aidan Farrelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aidan Farrelly  I am convinced now more than ever that politics, being in government and public administration in general are just one big game to so many members of the Government. Too many of them have no idea of the impact that their decisions make with the simple stroke of a pen. I know that I am meant to stand up here and react to this budget and the decisions that Fine Gael, Fianna F\u00e1il and Independents have made regarding transport, the young people of Ireland, or how this budget will or will not help constituents in Kildare, but to be honest, I want to reflect on the process that has played out over the last number of days, weeks and months and the game that the Government has played with people in this country. There is something deeply unethical about Ministers consistently briefing journalists every time the Government has had a nice idea, every time they have had a spark, only to change their minds a minute later and leave people with no certainty at all as to what comes next.  They are all too busy fighting with each other over who gets to announce sports capital grants, over culture cards for young people, pensions, excise cuts and over childcare costs, all the time knowing that they are not just playing a game between themselves but a game with people's realities.  For weeks now, the Government has refused to engage in any meaningful debate with the Social Democrats over fully costed, evidenced constructive policy solutions. Why? Because that is all part of the game as well. It is not about what is in the interest of people, only what is in the interest of Fine Gael, Fianna F\u00e1il and the Independents. Call me na\u00efve but the country's Executive should be above that level of immaturity. They should be on the same page as each other, at least, when it comes to financial stability and strategic planning. How on earth will we ever get to multi-annual funding for our health service or transport infrastructure if the Government is continuing to apply a scattergun approach to last-minute negotiations, deal-making and appeasing its friends? The Government has the cheek to tell the public sector unions, which represent hundreds of thousands of workers, to come to the negotiation table yet it collectively misspends a staggering amount in last-minute decision-making. No one would run a household or a small or medium enterprise like this. However, the Government chooses to continue to run a country like this and the game it is playing will be up.  It is time to come clean to the people. The budget announced today will be revised in no time at all, propped up with Supplementary Estimates. Just look at the HSE and the Department of Education and Youth. The Department of public expenditure and reform is levying every other Department this year because of an overspend in education. It is literally robbing Peter to pay Paul, yet it calls it \"looking for efficiencies\". Public expenditure and reform - where is the reform? Meanwhile, families remain frozen out of the systems, structures and services the Ministers were meant to budget for today. Their game means prioritising industry, profit and the self, while the community and the collective get ignored. In games like this that the Government chooses to play, there will always be winners and losers. Those embroiled in the housing failure caused by Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il are not winners today. Families desperately crying out for assessments of need or therapeutic services are not winners today. Nor are people with disabilities, young people, children experiencing poverty, or people lying on trolleys for days or weeks. People afraid to press the \"on\" button for the heating, immersion or cooker are not winners today. Nor are public transport users facing down \u20ac70 million worth of transport fare hikes. Who does win? For as long as the Government relies on the private market to meet the public need, the private market will win today. Developers and CEOs in sectors such as energy and groceries win today. The lobby groups, the ranks of whom so many Deputies opposite are desperate to join once their time in here is finished, will win today. The next level of this game is for the Minister to stand up and robustly defend the budget the Government has launched, staunchly rebut any and all critique.  Today I want to highlight the immature and incompetent games the Government continues to play and the people who get forgotten because in this game, inequality and poverty will prevail. The systemic failures in our society will prevail. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jen Cummins  This budget is being delivered in the middle of industrial action by education workers from primary to third-level institutions due to the failure of this Government to engage with the unions on public service pay. That is an utter disgrace and extremely disrespectful to public servants. The programme for Government promised to reduce the student contribution fees. This year, we see there will be a reduction for those with siblings and whose families earn less than \u20ac120,000. The Government is not sticking to its promise of reducing this. Last year, it reduced the fees by \u20ac500 but the previous year it was by \u20ac1,000. Now this year, it is going to be \u20ac150. These are all numbers. There are thousands of students who were protesting in the days before this budget, yet what the Ministers are giving them is materially nothing, a \u20ac150 reduction in student contribution fees. The Government is playing with words because the maths is not mathing.  I welcome the increase in the SUSI grants. However, the Social Democrats would have increased them by 10%, more than double what the Government has proposed. We would have expanded it to part-time students as well. If we are ever to create a fair footing for students to attend third level, the SUSI grant and other supports like the student assistance fund, which we would have increased by 20%, are needed. The student accommodation strategy is not working. The interdepartmental group has not even met yet. That is a great start. Meanwhile, students are travelling long distances. They are being ripped off by landlords who see accommodation as a commodity and not an essential part of life.  Lecturers are currently engaged in industrial action and really no one can blame them. They have poor working conditions, and a lack of engagement by the Government with their unions. There needs to be a huge investment in third level for us to reconcile with pre-austerity times. Investment in research and development is vital to ensure that our third-level institutions have the academic freedom for research, learning and development. There is an increasing reliance on private industry to fund education at third level. This is due to the Government's neoliberal policy to shore up its lack of investment in education.  For years when I was working in my school completion programme, I listened to the budget on the radio, pleading with the Ministers to make things better for the lives of the children and young people whom SCPs work with around the country. Every year they were different families but the same problems. Educational disadvantage is not going away. It needs a systemic approach to inclusion, therapies and whole-family support. As long as this Government has been in power in one guise or another, it has failed to grasp the situation. The Social Democrats understand fully what needs to be done. In our alternative budget, we would have expanded the hot school meals programme in terms of funding and rolling it out to second-level schools. We would be much stricter with the nutritional standards and the public model of provision. We would ensure that the JCSP libraries system is rolled out to all secondary schools, starting with DEIS and DEIS plus schools. We would ensure that there are emotional counsellors in all schools. The current model is not reaching the most vulnerable children. It focuses on the mild cases. We need to support those most at risk. If the Minister only hears one thing I say today, let him hear me saying that we need to support the children who are the most traumatised, the children who are suffering the most, who are difficult to reach and not easy to support. They are the ones who need it most. Traumatised children become traumatised adults. Early intervention is key.  The Government has promised to reduce class sizes. Ireland has one of the highest class sizes in Europe. There are classes in Ireland of 30 or more students. How can a teacher teach and how can a child learn? The Government needs to reduce the average as it has promised.  On special education, the Government is trying its best, it says. Its best is not good enough. It is going from problem to problem. The Social Democrats are very clear about the need to ensure that every child has an appropriate school place. Every school should be fully resourced to ensure every child is included and educated. The Government has let disabled children down. It has failed so many children and their families. This budget will not help to solve the omnishambles that is special education in this country because the Government does not know what to do and, therefore, it cannot provide a proper plan.  This budget will see good things for those who already have but it does not go far enough for the most disadvantaged. However disappointed I am in this budget, it pales into insignificance when people around the country realise how little it will actually give them. The public services that should be there will not be there. The safety net that should give support will not give that support. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin Hayes","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin Hayes  There is perhaps no greater responsibility that D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann has than how it decides to spend the people's money. In every budget put forward by a Government, the social protection section represents the largest area of expenditure for the State. It supports over 3.8 million people, or 70% of the population: 850,000 pensioners; 620,000 carers and disabled people; over 125,000 lone parent families; and 1.8 million children.  As the core redistributive arm of the State, it is fundamental in defining the kind of country we live in. In the social protection envelope, one can find the answer to the questions asked of every Government. What is the floor through which we will allow no one to fall? What social contracts do we hold between us? The Government's proposals today represent a further degradation of that contract and a failure to envisage a envision a better and more just future for the vulnerable in this country.  This country, on paper, has never been so rich. It is, by nearly any measure, one of the wealthiest countries on earth, yet we know all too well that there are too many in our country who face incredible hardships. There are double-digit poverty rates among older people living alone, disabled people, carers and lone-parent families and a gargantuan 200,000 children living in consistent poverty, according to the ESRI. It should be the most important and urgent work of the Government to alleviate poverty levels like these. Yet, it has consistently been the case that the Government that falls short in that work.  I do not want to mince words. This budget represents a failure to protect the most vulnerable. Clearly, the Minister for Social Protection found himself at the back of the queue of Fine Gael Ministers and lobbyists and outmanoeuvred by those clamouring for tax cuts. Instead of keeping up with inflation and the cost of living or lifting people out from under water, the Government has chosen to plunge the heads of the poor back under it.  A \u20ac10 increase per week for those reliant on social protection payments does not, despite what the Minister for public expenditure has claimed, keep up with the inflation facing these families. Instead of fully tackling child poverty, it has thrown peanuts at it, adding less than half of what it did last year. Despite the commitment of the Government to abolish the means test for carers, it remains in place. In fact, it has barely kept up with inflation in the budget package.  One of the more shocking things to witness since the Government has come into office has been the miserly and mean treatment of those with disabilities. This budget offers little hope for change. In 2021, the Indecon report estimated that the cost of disability was, at minimum, an extra \u20ac8,700 per year per person. Some five years later, after much consultation and fanfare, the Minister has finally introduced a cost-of-disability payment, but he has only committed \u20ac500, or a less than a tenner a week, when the Disabilities Federation of Ireland said that disabled people needed \u20ac55.  Prudence with the people's money is warranted, but so too is the courage to do the right thing. The budget does not have to be this way. Last week, the Social Democrats made a series of budgetary proposals which are fully costed, and with additional expenditure falling within the Government's \u20ac8.5 billion envelope. We asked those with the most to contribute the most so that those with the least can live a dignified life. We believe that is in keeping with the character of the Irish people. Fiscal prudence does not have to come at the expense of social justice.  We put forward comprehensive proposals. We wanted to increase incomes for the most vulnerable disabled people by over \u20ac4,000 per year, yet the Government seems to want to offer them a small fraction of that. We wanted to comprehensively tackle child poverty, a supposed priority for the Taoiseach of this Government. However, in this budget the Government is again found wanting. We would have prioritised lone parents and kinship carers to the tune of thousands of euro per year. We would have supercharged carers' payments and abolished the means test to recognise care for the real work and labour that it is. We would have supported older people living alone in energy poverty by nearly double what the Government has announced today. We would have introduced a payment for institutional survivors.  This budget should not be about tax cuts for the richest among us. This budget should not be about throwing crumbs to families while the wealthiest win big. This budget and, indeed, every budget should be progressive and focused on those of the coalface of poverty, deprivation, social exclusion and the cost-of-living crisis. Sadly, today we find that the Government has not delivered that kind of budget and has not delivered for the millions of people who rely on it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ged Nash  There you have it: the first budget of two from soundbite Simon and Jack GPT. We expected little and they have not disappointed. A tenner on the pension is not even enough to keep up with inflation. The two grand on the rent-a-room relief will, in fact, cost students the same in rent increases. A help-to-buy top-up will only drive house prices higher for developers. As electricity prices soar, hundreds of thousands of customers are in arrears. The Government could spend \u20ac100 million a month to cut the price of motor fuel, but provides nothing to keep a storage heater going.  At the heart of this budget is a lack of honesty about the challenges we face and what the solutions are. It is bread and circuses to distract from the lack of action to permanently cut the cost of living and address the crisis in energy prices, incomes and child property across too many homes in this rich country.  The T\u00e1naiste that told us that this would be a workers' budget. He has some hard neck, especially after leaving them out last year. The discredited phrase, \"People who get up early in the morning\", was brought off the bench ahead of this budget for the pre-match warm-up. Those waking up this evening for the night shift will be sorely disappointed with what they have heard from the Government this afternoon. Far from being a budget for those who get up early in the morning, this is a budget for those who can afford a bloody good lie-in. It is a budget for those who already have a few bob in the bank, who can afford to save thousands of euro and whose money is burning a hole in their pockets. It is a budget that has done the business for the lucky few who inherit a bit of cash and for those who want to flip their business.  It is time that the Government was reminded who the fabled people who get up early in the morning really are. They are the mam and dad who pay through the nose for childcare and will still barely be able to afford the cost in 11 months' time when today's announcements kick in. They are the nurse or healthcare assistant who the Government has left without a pay deal. They are the unpaid carer who is up all night walking the floor with an elderly mother who will still not qualify for the carer's allowance because of arbitrary income thresholds.  Time and again, I have reminded the House that the Ireland of 2026 is a rich country, but it is a country that is poor in many ways. We are a country that is full of contradictions. Unprecedented numbers of people are at work, alongside growing shameful child poverty and deprivation. Climbing inequality is set against overflowing tax revenues. Embarrassing public service gaps remain after a more than decade-long boom. A Minister is happy to lay the blame for our infrastructure and housing failures on judicial reviews. We have the highest electricity prices in Europe, but we are in no real rush to retrofit.  It used to be the case that money was our problem, but in 2026 it is ideas, vision and ambition. This budget could have fixed health, housing, education and transport. It could have been a budget focused on energy, incomes and child poverty to deliver a future we can all afford, as the Labour Party laid out in our alternative budget. Instead, we have a budget by lobbyists for lobbyists. Last year, it was hospitality. This year, it has been investors and contractors. The corporate tax windfall has made Fine Gael and its Fianna F\u00e1il colleagues lazy and lacking in real vision and imagination. The Government is clutching at last-minute distractions like the culture card - there is nothing in the budget about the culture card - and stamp duty cuts, which did not make it into the budget. It has done so in order to take the bare look off the lack of energy credits and real improvements in public services, and the incredible fare hikes that it decided to load on commuters in Louth, Kildare and across the country over the last period of time.  This is a fundamentally dishonest budget from a fundamentally dishonest Government. It is a dishonest budget that sees pensioners fall further behind and tax adjustments for working people dishonestly promoted as tax cuts when they barely keep pace with wage growth. We know from looking at the budget documentation that half of all Irish workers on low pay, as well as many others below the low pay threshold, will see very little benefit from the tax changes announced today. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Budget Statement 2027"}]}}]},"contextDate":"2026-10-06"}]}