Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle.

Of all the things people want from their politicians at this time of crisis, the most wanted are honesty and leadership and for us to ensure the decisions made are fair. I wanted the Government to bring in a budget that gave people hope for the future, showed we are all in this together, that was about fairness and solidarity, had enterprise at its heart, said something about our values as a country, was about more than the national accounts and provided some direction for Ireland. Fianna Fáil want the economy to recover. That is why we have put forward our own ideas in A Fairer Way to Recovery, to achieve the deficit targets and stimulate economic activity.

I hoped the Government, in preparing today's budget, had learnt a lesson from last year when the Minister introduced the first regressive budget since the crisis began in 2008, a budget that hit the poorest income households the hardest. It will take a while for a full assessment to be done of the impact today's budget on different income groups. On the face of it, however, low and middle income families and elderly citizens will bear the brunt of the budget. They are the biggest losers from a budget that has, again, protected the country's highest income earners at the expense of struggling families who are put to the pin of their collars to pay essential day-to-day bills such as the mortgage and their grocery, heat, electricity, health, transport and school costs. I get no sense of empathy or understanding from the Government, nor do I get any sense that they understand what life is like for ordinary people and families.

The Government has introduced a budget that is shaped more by the respective party political needs of Fine Gael and Labour than the national interest. The deep divisions between Fine Gael and the Labour Party that emerged in recent days are most revealing. Fine Gael showed that its absolute priority in the budget is to protect those who have most. We are told the Labour Party made valiant efforts to protect households dependent on social protection but, clearly, it has failed.

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