Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

I know there are some good things in this budget, but it lacks other things. The opportunity to do so much for our people who are suffering has been squandered. These are the people whom it was said the budget was aimed at. However, compared to what is still undone, this budget has failed in this regard.

I am very concerned because there are so many things to be done. The greatest question of all concerns the billions of euro that were there to be spent. Why was this money not used to good effect up to now? Will the Government direct the money to where it is really needed?

I am very concerned about older people in my constituency who must borrow money, maybe several hundred euro, to go to a basic hospital appointment. It might be an older person who has nothing except a pension, yet he or she must borrow possibly €110 each way to go from Achill Island to Galway to have a pacemaker checked, which is absolutely ludicrous. It does not make sense. Yet, this person has nothing else. This Government is failing this older person and so many others. I asked a question in this House as to why this was happening. I was told by the Minister for Health and Children that this was the responsibility of the HSE. After questioning the HSE and receiving information from it, it was very clear it is not getting enough money to be able to provide the necessary transport. Transport is limited to a number of categories, such as people receiving treatment for cancer, people with severe ischaemia of their lower limbs and dialysis cases. These are very deserving cases, but even allowing for the transport of those in these categories, others do not have transport when they need it because provision for the categories I mentioned have eaten so much into the budget provided. The pie is limited and even acute services are being jeopardised.

How can we come out of a budget like this with such glaring inequities in our system? A section of the population of older people must go into nursing homes. Yet, the terrible position is that they will not have enough money to support themselves in a private nursing home, having been refused a place in a public facility because there are not enough public facilities. This Government has managed to abdicate its responsibility to older people. Therefore, they must search for a room at the inn in a private nursing home towards which the State will not give them adequate funds. I welcome the increase in the subvention rate, but if it is not sufficient to cover the cost, what is the point? Those people still face a glaring deficiency in their ability to even exist so this is a major problem.

Older people waiting for five years simply to be called for an urology appointment and who maybe get up five times a night need an operation that would take 20 minutes. It does not make sense. This would be sorted out by the appointment of a urologist at Mayo General Hospital, which is not going to happen. Neither do we do have a rheumatologist so people have to become completely crippled and miss that two-year window of opportunity to get the treatment they need to prevent them becoming totally seized up in the case of rheumatoid arthritis. This is unacceptable.

I do not know how the budget will address these issues. I raised the position regarding psychiatric services in Mayo in this House. Children there must wait for two years for a psychiatric appointment because there is only one child psychiatrist in Mayo, which is a massive county, the third largest in Ireland, with a population of over 110,000 people. Yet, it has only one child psychiatrist. Surely, all the billions of euro available could have been used to provide those services. It is a question of prevention. We saw this on television over the past few days. Prevention is better than cure. Older people and, above all, children who have their whole lives ahead of them but whose lives may be jeopardised or even prematurely ended by suicide, must wait for services. These children urgently need to be seen by someone. It is completely unacceptable and I ask the Minister to examine these issues.

The recruitment embargo is continuing, despite all the billions of euro. The embargo means that not enough staff can be employed to ensure, for example, the beds we need are available. I questioned the Minister about this and received word about the transit lounge being set up in Mayo General Hospital where 15 beds will be provided. However, this is just pending transfer to the ward. In other words, transit lounges in our hospitals are the answer to the deficiencies there, which is unacceptable.

I welcome transit lounges to the extent they are better than the totally inhumane situations found in accident and emergency departments where I have seen older people cry out of sheer desperation. I once met a man of over 90 years of age in a hospital who was crying. When I asked him what the problem was, he replied it was his birthday yet he was on a hospital trolley. It would certainly have been better for him to have been in some kind of transit lounge, but he deserved to be in a hospital bed, which will not be there for him even after this budget. I am very concerned about that.

There is a major missed opportunity here. Helicopter emergency medical service are so important and every other country in Europe has them. Yet, children have died gasping for breath from diseases like meningitis trying to get from peripheral hospitals to the centres of excellence on the east coast for essential life-saving operations. They cannot get there in time because of the lack of helicopter emergency medical services. These are glaring deficiencies.

I reiterate the call I made to the Minister for Finance after the last budget for some kind of tax incentive scheme to help businesses in the west in particular. These businesses are struggling with such a short season, particularly the tourism season. I asked that some consideration be given to VAT-free conferences in Ireland and I am glad this is happening and that concessions are available. I am glad to see the improvements in the business expansion schemes, namely, the €2 million ceiling per company, which is much better, and possibly €180,000 per individual. It helps smaller industries, which is good because the Government is very much regarded as a Government that favours big business. The west deserves these measures.

There is a total underspend in the BMW region, bearing in mind the €500 million allocation for roads. According to the Minister for Finance, the deficit will not be made up until 2008 although the national development plan is to expire at the end of this month. Between now and 2008, the east and south will continue to surge ahead, as they have done. We must wait until 2008 for an even playing pitch, but even then the south and east will have moved on and 60% of graduates from the west will still have to go to the greater Dublin area to find their first job. This could easily be sorted out if the Government put its money where its mouth is and supported very worthwhile initiatives in the west to ensure its competitiveness. The west should be provided with the necessary road and rail infrastructure, broadband, etc.

Coastal fishermen are receiving a pittance in compensation for the rest of their lives, amounting to approximately €2,000. In the United Kingdom, drift-net fishermen were similarly compensated but at least they received an equitable amount. This must be borne in mind.

Post offices in rural areas depend so much on the Department of Social and Family Affairs. I recognise that efforts were made to improve postmasters' incomes. However, EU competition law is such that their services will be put out to tender and this will seriously jeopardise their incomes. The Government should consider how it can help in this regard.

I welcome the 5,000 home care packages. The defined revenue funding scheme for sheltered housing has great potential to keep people at home and out of hospitals and nursing homes, yet less than €1 million was allocated for the scheme last year to help people remain in their communities. The ongoing revenue cost should be subject to support so that people could be employed to help the elderly stay at home or in sheltered housing in their communities for a longer period. However, I heard no reference to this in the budget speech and I hope it will be considered because it is necessary. It is a very important issue.

The Government has totally destroyed the very clear vision of former Minister of State, Bobby Molloy, that 20% of all houses be made available to those in need of social or affordable housing. The former Minister's vision was very equitable but we see in the newspapers that it is being watered down all the time.

The need for social housing has increased as never before and there are 48,000 people on the waiting list. Those who are making money are making more than ever before. While private housing is thriving, social housing is in the doldrums. House prices are such that one requires ten times the average industrial wage to reach the entry point for housing. This is a terrifying statistic but indicates the current reality. The recommendations in the NESC's report are being ignored. Local authorities require resources and voluntary housing associations need sites on which to build houses. They would build them if they could get the sites.

The private rental housing subsidy serves as a blank cheque for private developers and really operates at the expense of the homeless and destitute. We need more social housing targeted at low-income groups and vulnerable people, such as the elderly, homeless and disabled. Ireland has the smallest social rental housing stock in Europe, with the exception of tiny Luxembourg. I do not know what the Government is doing in this regard, given that it claims to look after those who really need help.

This country has been asset-stripped of social housing and this process is continuing. If the Government agrees with the NESC's targets, it must provide adequate resources. The targets were identified in the National Development Plan, 2000-2006, which is to expire at the end of this month, but they have not been achieved. I hope the Government is prepared to avail of the great opportunities that exist. It has a major responsibility in this regard but has abdicated it.

I do not recognise the difference between older people requiring high-dependency care in a nursing home and requiring care in a hospital. I do not know why the former should not be entitled to free care. The Government should consider this aspect.

The provision of free medical cards to those over 70 years was very important, even though there are millionaires with medical cards. Older people who are totally disabled and require high-dependency care should be looked after at the State's expense. It is their legal right in any case. I hope this is taken on board.

Not-for-profit housing enterprises should be supported very much by the Government, and much more so than at present. While I welcome the home care packages, the defined revenue funding scheme really needs to be examined.

The Government needs to reconsider the housing targets and complete 73,000 new social rental homes by 2012. Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2002 should be re-examined. These matters should all be addressed before the need to consider land swaps or cash payments in lieu of complete housing units arises. The Government should undertake to provide building sites for social housing to local authorities and housing associations. The Government needs to adopt a housing-first policy to resolve the homelessness problem. Housing should be provided before the associated services pertaining to health, education and training.

Significant additional revenue should be provided by the Government for housing associations to provide on-site care and support services in sheltered accommodation projects for the elderly. This is extremely important. So much more needs to be done and I ask the Government to consider the areas about which I have spoken. The people deserve more.

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