Mary White (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)

It is a proud moment for the Green Party. There are three areas of the budget that I would like to discuss, namely, the environment, social justice and increased provisions for women.

On the issue of the environment, I would like to share the sentiments expressed by my party leader last week that this budget is the first to include significant green measures and that is due to the presence of the Green Party in government. The overhaul of vehicle registration tax so that the tax is centred on a car's CO2 emissions and not engine size, combined with the extension of incentives for hybrid cars and VRT exemption for electric mopeds, will increase awareness of the need to minimise carbon use. It is long overdue, but nevertheless welcome. As someone who has converted to the merits of bio-fuel, I believe the budget announcement on VAT reduction on certain seeds and bulbs for growing bio-fuels will help the industry to develop.

The battle to address climate change requires more than just more energy efficient and smaller engines; it requires a societal and industrial revolution away from oil towards renewable energies. The targeted incentives for businesses to switch to renewable energies, such as the tax credit allowing companies to write off 100% of capital spending on energy-saving technologies, the €13 million provided for energy conservation and €7 million for energy research, including the study of ocean energy, are all examples of forward thinking measures that have been delivered. The measures announced by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in Ireland's first ever carbon budget last Thursday complemented these measures. The initiative of banning the incandescent light bulb by 2009 is the talk of the town in Bali this week.

Social justice has always been and remains at the core of the Green Party's political philosophy. The budget is socially progressive. More than half of this year's budget has been allocated to social welfare and child benefit. All tax credits and bands were increased in line with inflation. Low income earners were kept out of the standard rate band and middle income earners were kept out of the higher rate band, as was promised in the programme for Government. The Green Party has worked hard to ensure that the qualified adult allowance for over 66 year olds was increased in this budget by 15%. The Green Party is also proud of its influence in ensuring the respite care grants will increase next year by €200 to €1,700. These provisions are targeted at some of the neediest in society and all sides of the House should support the increases. Those most in need in the developing world have also been remembered in this budget, as seen in the overseas development fund increase of €83 million to 0.54% of GDP in 2008.

As the Green Party spokesperson on women's affairs, I welcome the provisions for women and mothers in the budget. The €100 increase in the early child care supplement will mean the payment is increased to €1,100 per year. The Minister, Deputy Cowen, has taken on board a key component of the programme for Government by doubling the income eligibility for parents of children less than six years of age and the trebling of the income eligibility for parents of children with an intellectual disability less than 18 years of age. These measures will hopefully give some comfort both to parents of children with special intellectual needs and parents trying to pay for the costs of child care.

Much more needs to be done in many areas of social welfare, tax reform, State funding and environmental protection. One budget will not address all the challenges of redistribution and equality, increased spending and investment in services and human capital and the immense environmental challenges upon us such as climate change. It is only the first of five budgets the Green Party will deliver with its partners in Government. It is only a beginning. I am aware of my party colleague Deputy Gogarty's hope for more targeted spending on education in the budget. Like him, I look forward to well targeted funding for primary, secondary and third level education. However, this is a start. This is a progressive and environmentally responsible budget.

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