Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I thank the Chair for giving me the opportunity to speak in this debate.

When we look at the details of the Estimates, we see the Government has up to €1.5 billion extra to spend on budget day. There is a glorious opportunity to end the crisis at our accident and emergency units, to end the scandal of patients on trolleys and waiting lists for people with disabilities, to provide supports for our elderly and a child care package to assist families.

State spending will rise next year by €3 billion, or approximately 7%, to approximately €48 billion. These figures sound great to citizens and taxpayers, but they ask why patients are still on trolleys in Beaumont Hospital. They want to know why children on Dublin's northside cannot get to see an occupational therapist and why there are 312 people with an intellectual disability on residential waiting lists for St. Michael's House services. It was a disgrace the way in which St. Michael's House was treated in the recent Hynes report as it is a caring and professional organisation that should be supported with more resources and funding for quality services. It is disgraceful that it was treated so badly in the media.

People also want to know why young couples cannot get a home, why there are so many on housing waiting lists and so many homeless in our towns and cities. We can have all the talk we want about Estimates, but unless we spend wisely and carefully, these debates are not relevant to the people. When we look at the Estimate for education, we see an 8% increase but immediately wonder about the 52% of children in disadvantaged areas who are not ready for primary school.

These are the real issues raised by the Estimates debate and should be the priorities. There is no excuse. Now is the time for the Government to introduce a comprehensive and caring budget.

See this speech in context