Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)

I welcome some of the provisions related to agriculture in the budget. The encouragement provided to transfer farms to younger people is good, while the encouragement to form farm partnerships can be built on. However, the 10% reduction in the REPS, when added to stealth and other charges, will have a major impact in rural areas. It will make matters much more difficult for small farming families.

I regret that there is no commitment to the AEOS in 2012. The Government talks about people having certainty about the future, but there is no certainty for those coming out of the REPS who would have hoped to transfer to the AEOS. The reduction in the capital allocation for harbours is small compared to what the Government should have done - revise the upward only rent review legislation. This has been the cause of dereliction near harbours.

I want to paint a picture of the impact of the budget on ordinary people in counties Sligo and Leitrim and other rural areas in the north west. Those dependent on social welfare will be hit hard by fuel increases and septic tank charges. Some Members had a good laugh at this, but it is no laughing matter for someone facing a bill of up to €10,000 to replace a system.

People will be hit hard by household charges and are looking at a budget that includes no initiative aimed at job creation. Students from the region who attend Sligo IT will lose more than half of the grant they had last year because of the change to the proximity rules. Registration fees will increase and, unfortunately, we are getting back to the days where a quality education will only be accessible by the sons and daughters of the very wealthy. Is this what the Government really wants in Ireland in 2012?

Parents of children attending small schools - there are many throughout the north west - will fear the closure of these schools as they read the details of the budget. The Minister of State, Deputy Perry, promised publicly - I have a recording of it - that no small school would close on his watch. I will be watching to ensure he sticks to this commitment and hope he will deliver on it better than he did on his commitment to retain cancer services in Sligo General Hospital. Elderly people and their families are living in fear that the public nursing homes will be closed and that private nursing homes further away from their families and loved ones will be their only options.

Parents of young children will dread the reopening of schools because they will have to clothe their children and pay increased transport charges to get them to school. Young school leavers will decide to check their options to see what they will have to do to get to Australia. I do not believe the Minister's colleagues in Cabinet understand the impact of cuts on community groups in rural areas. People getting a FÁS payment will now be disqualified from getting part of the disability allowance, which will mean some people will stay at home rather than go out and be activated and motivated among the community.

I predict there will be another set of unintended casualties in four years' time for whom I have no sympathy - the Deputies who voted for these measures, particularly Labour Deputies. On Monday I watched with interest the body language as a Labour Minister presented harsh proposals for cuts in public expenditure. He outlined his attacks on the most vulnerable people in our society. Fine Gael backbenchers applauded him strongly while Labour backbenchers sat on their hands. Well done to Fine Gael and shame on Labour. What will they do in the budgets for 2013, 2014 and 2015 in order to continue to pay the ransom demanded by speculators? Over the next four years what damage will they do and to whom?

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