Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)

When my Green Party parliamentary colleagues and I signed up to the programme for Government, we pledged to vote as part of a three party coalition, barring exceptional circumstances, until the end of the Government's five year term of office. The Government has my vote but no Government will take away my conscience. In all conscience I cannot give the budget a ringing endorsement. It is like the proverbial curate's egg — good in parts but with bits that would turn one's stomach, no more so than in the area of education.

The programme for Government expressly states the Government will commit each year to allocate an additional €350 million over and above existing levels of service. That in itself falls well short of the investment needed but it certainly pointed in the right direction. Instead, if we add the figures, we get a figure of approximately €95 million, a clear breach of the programme for Government and not a good start.

I can take all the snipes about sell-outs on Tara, Shannon Airport and stopping current incineration projects, knowing wholeheartedly that these were never going to happen with just six Green Party seats, regardless of which of the two larger parties headed the Government, but a breach of promises and achievements made as part of negotiations is a different story.

When a well respected and highly competent Minister for Finance says money is tight, we must listen but at the same time it is one's duty to query where the sword fell and why. There is some welcome extra money for education thanks to the efforts of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, and also due to the Green Party's participation in government, but it falls well short of what was promised following negotiations, budgetary fiscal caveats or not.

At least, more funding has been provided for school buildings. I look forward to the new developing areas section of the Department working to identify and provide new schools alongside housing development, aided by forthcoming legislation from the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, but other than that increases for education have been relatively paltry and are stretched to meet even the existing national development plan commitments, let alone additional projects. I am aware the economic outlook is tightening but that is all the more reason for investing in the education system.

The Minister for Finance had a number of options. He could have reprioritised existing spending. The stamp duty changes come to mind. Given that the housing market will continue to fall and perhaps correct itself and allow first-time buyers obtain more affordable houses, the real measures should be aimed at those facing negative equity. He could have reprioritised existing spending in that or other areas. He could also have raised taxes, a brave decision which was not going to happen on any side of the House, or borrowed more to fund educational projects. As I will continue to say until I am blue in the face, investment in education makes sense. It is the morally and fiscally correct thing to do but, perhaps regrettably, not the politically astute thing to do.

The trouble with the political system is that everything is geared towards the next election. That is perhaps one reason the Minister did not see the benefit in investing in education now to reap rewards in ten or 12 years' time and the reason potential Ministers in the Opposition did not give any indication in the past 12 months that they would do anything different. Investing to address the adult literacy problem helps to breaks the cycle of poverty and disadvantage. Investing in educational welfare officers and backup services helps to break the cycle of school absenteeism which leads to the dole queue, a dead end job or a prison cell. Those are all forthright reasons for investing in education but also taxpayers' money goes down the drain if we put someone into a young offenders centre or prison. It is a no brainer.

The same applies to investment in National Educational Psychological Service psychologists, further education and training, breakfast and after-school clubs, and sports and recreational facilities in schools. It applies also to investment in training for life skills, tackling bullying, coping with our drug and alcohol addicted society — I saw more than one Deputy in the Dáil bar tonight drinking alcohol while the Dáil was still in session, of which I do not approve — and preparing for a future of climate change and energy shortages. That is a more austere scenario, whichever way one looks at it, but one to which we can make the transition successfully if we can mobilise society to maximise the long-term potential of the island.

Deputy White mentioned some of the welcome investments in research and development in the energy field. That investment must be matched at the higher education level also. We must be innovators in that technology, rather than simply facilitate companies in coming here. We could export energy supplies in 20 or 30 years' time. We must maximise that potential. It will cost money but in real terms it would cost far less taxpayers' money to deal with the problems now instead of after elections some years from now. We have a mixed bag instead.

My esteemed colleague, Deputy Mary White, outlined a long list of positive achievements in the budget. Like her, I welcome the measures, particularly those that move us towards a sustainable green economy. I welcome the increases over the rate of inflation for pensioners, the additions to the respite care grant, increased child benefit and the extension of the medical card scheme.

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