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

With the agreement of the House, I will share 30 minutes of my time with Deputy Sean Fleming.

As we all know, the last five years have been incredibly difficult for the majority of people in this country, to varying degrees. People’s incomes have come under sustained attack, their living standards have worsened and their future plans have had to be changed. Above all else, people look to the Government to give them hope that there are better days ahead. Including today’s Budget Statement, a staggering total adjustment of more than €30 billion has been introduced in the public finances since 2008.

We all hope the country is on the cusp of recovery, but it is too early to draw definitive conclusions. All of us involved in politics, particularly those in government, have a responsibility to ensure the sacrifices made by the people are worthwhile and that Ireland is put firmly on the road to sustainable recovery. It means staying focused on the task ahead. Fianna Fáil believes a budget adjustment of a similar order to that proposed by the Government is required. We accept that there is no easy way to put through tax increases and spending cuts in the order of €2.5 billion. However the litmus test of the budget is not the response of the Opposition but whether the people outside the House, those most affected by its measures, believe it to be fair. I am not naive enough to think one can achieve consensus on what constitutes fairness, but our definition is whether the burden of the adjustment has been spread in line with people's ability to carry it. By any reasonable analysis, this is the Government's third successive budget that places a disproportionate share of the burden on those least able to carry it.

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