Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

In June this year, the Tánaiste stated the fact that an increasing number of people are getting private health care is good and is a sign of increasing disposable income. There is complete incoherence on the part of the Government in this key area of social provision. The Minister for Finance carried that contradiction into the budget when he extended tax breaks for the developers of private hospitals. The tax forgone in this way should instead be spent on the provision of primary care centres which were promised but were shelved by the Tánaiste last year.

What is the situation on health? No mention, let alone commitment, was made of introducing and staffing the 3,000 promised additional beds to relieve our overworked accident and emergency units. Despite this, tax reliefs or capital allowances for private hospitals will continue.

On other measures, I already stated no mention was made of extending the medical card to children under 18 years of age. Neither was there any mention of increased funding for those 3,000 acute hospital beds. Again, no mention was made of increased funding to roll out primary care centres as promised but postponed last year by the Tánaiste, Deputy Harney. Estimates fell short in funding for cancer services. Increases were needed but there was no mention of them. The only thing we see is the continuation of tax reliefs for private hospital providers. The message is very clear: there is nothing in this budget for the health needs of our people, and in particular for the 325 people languishing on trolleys and chairs in our accident and emergency units today. Accident and emergency is only the tip of the iceberg of the crisis in our health services. Health is the big omission from budget 2006. I believe this omission will be a major factor in this Government's demise when the general election takes place. Let us hope the day is hastened.

I welcome the removal of a range of property-based tax reliefs but the Government deserves no credit for this. We did not know what most of those reliefs cost but we know speculators made a massive sum of money from them. The Government and the speculators who benefited from these measures are like fraudsters who know the game is up and who must move on to another scam.

The Minister spoke of a significant package of social and affordable housing but we heard nothing to provide for the 73,000 social housing units required by 2012, as recommended by the National Economic and Social Council. Like the issue of health, this budget has been a major disappointment to people with disabilities. For years we have sought a cost of disability payment that recognises the additional costs and burdens borne by people with disabilities. The Disability Federation of Ireland made a case for a payment of €40 per week. Shame on the Government.

The Minister used the budget to reannounce the Transport 21 package, itself a recycled package. Like so much else in the Government's record, that package does not measure up to scrutiny. No mention is made of a continuation or a reintroduction of the bank levy. Great lobbying work must have been done in that regard. Instead, we see the abolition of the 0.5% companies capital duty. The measure is effective from today while others must wait until 2006 for increases in the social welfare code. The abolition is to assist firms in the financial services sector.

What about the hard-pressed motorist? Do we see any measures to relieve the pressures they are under? We do not and although we see the extension of VRT relief to flexible fuel vehicles it is only for a trial period of two years. Surely much more could have been done.

Buying carbon credits is what the United States has been doing and what we have condemned time and again. We should face up to our Kyoto Protocol responsibilities. Does the Minister intend to address this area of public concern by buying carbon credits?

There is undoubtedly a general election in the offing and the Minister has his plans set out to win the general election for Fianna Fáil in 2007 or perhaps sooner. I assure him that plan and this Government will perish on the rock of health and the failure of the Government to address the needs of ordinary, decent people.

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