Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for making himself available for a discussion on the prospects associated with what is not necessarily a contentious budget, but an important and pivotal one on the crossroads we may be at. It is imperative to have a greater understanding of the implications and what the State needs to do to cushion ourselves against the calamitous events that might ensue.

As the Minister has alluded to, with a no-deal Brexit we would be facing substantially greater budget deficits, increased borrowings and growth forecasts adjusted downwards. Is it not inevitable, therefore, that there will be an almost immediate impact on the ongoing capital development plan? We have had many announcements associated with Project Ireland 2040. Investment in transport alone will be €25 billion over ten years. A capital investment of €2 billion this year has been announced in the area of health.

The Minister has said that the surpluses that will be available based on the projected growth rates will inevitably pay for the national broadband plan over time. In the absence of a contract being signed for that project, is there a cost on the State having conferred preferred bidder status already? I asked that question some months ago and am still awaiting the answer. What are the Minister's thoughts on that?

An extra €2.4 billion has been pumped into health since 2017. The constituents we represent do not see that manifested on the ground. They do not see the sorts of inroads one would have expected to address waiting lists.

While there is a commitment in name to the all-party committee's recommendations, will we now see less provided for their implementation because of the impact of a no-deal Brexit? Therefore, we will continue not to see the impact we would like on waiting lists. We will continue not to see the great increase in funding manifesting in the availability of home help packages or hours or assessments for those most in need.

Earlier this year the Government committed to having a health oversight committee. Has it met? Has it been effective? What improvements have ensued because of it? Are we still facing an overrun? Are the minutes of meetings of the committee available to us and the public to ascertain if it is having the effect the Government sought? We are told that there is something to be learned from our past and the failure to rein in in a timely fashion our dependency on revenue that accrued from the property sector. In recent weeks others far more qualified than I have pointed to the same mistakes being made with the windfall in corporation tax receipts. In that sphere the Minister said he would carry out a study which would be available in March. In the context of a no-deal Brexit and given the perilous nature of the State's finances as a result of commitments we have to make, would it not advisable for the Minister and is it not incumbent on him and his Department to bring forward the study at this juncture in order that it can play its part in informing the House in making the right decisions as it is expected to do so on the budget?