Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman. I thank the Minister for his presentation. I very much welcome the fact our economy is growing and that the jobs market is strengthening, but from my perspective, I am thinking about younger people. When there is a narrative that the country is recovering, that things are going very well and that the number of jobs is increasing, the Parliament, which may not be as representative of those in their 30s and 40s as it should be, must recognise that there is growing depression, anxiety and fatigue among people of that generation.

They are unable to buy a first home or get permanent jobs, must deal with pension issues and, as Deputy Barrett pointed out, spend hours in their cars or on public transport on long commutes. We have done little in recent years to address that age group's ongoing concerns. I point to the help-to-buy scheme specifically. I understand the incentive behind it, but the Minister is probably aware it has been termed the "help the developer" scheme, given that it has driven up prices for younger people and first-time buyers. I am eager to see future budgets doing something to assist people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who are trying to get a foot up in life, start families and jobs and get homes, which is becoming an impossibility for many.

I welcome that the Minister touched upon the national planning framework. I support the drive to ease the pressure in the greater Dublin area. With that in mind, there needs to be a focus on investment and development in the north west. Speaking as someone from the Mayo constituency, we consistently have been left behind in terms of infrastructural development. I do not begrudge any county development works but there is extra infrastructure development in Dublin, Cork and Galway in the form of the Luas and various public transport systems, even though the basics have not even been provided in the north west. There is no motorway or dual carriageway out of Mayo or proper links to Sligo, Galway or Dublin. Without basic infrastructure in place, it will be difficult to compete for investment and generate the jobs that will allow people to remain in the area.

Deputy Barrett hit the nail on the head where work-life balance was concerned. The public service could examine allowing people to work from home properly for a day or two per week in an attempt to ease the pressure on commuter services and the necessity of sitting in a car for two hours each way every day. The public sector should lead the way on this matter.

Regarding the GDP growth projections, are there plans to increase spending on the Defence Forces? Last year, we spent 0.55% of GDP on defence whereas the European average, including neutral countries, was 1.2%. We will be dealing with Brexit and other issues and are an island nation. I am not suggesting that major threats are posed to our State but by any standard of a functioning democracy with a jurisdiction to protect, including its waters, we have a low defence spending. I would like to see it increased, given that the economy is growing.