Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Literacy and numeracy are the foundations of learning and freedom, which is why it is right to support families in meeting the costs of education.

There are other important social initiatives in this budget. We have provided the resources to restart the construction of social housing and there is funding to tackle some of the worst problems of the bubble era, including Priory Hall, the pyrite issue and ghost estates. There is a new mechanism of social impact bonds designed to allow for innovative social projects.

This Government took office 31 months ago after our country had been brought to the brink of ruin by Fianna Fáil. In the face of that crisis, Labour and Fine Gael took on the task of renegotiating the bailout and bringing our country back from the edge. This could only be done with the support of men and women of principle and patriotism, colleagues who had the courage and the character to put their country first. It is thanks to that commitment and to the patience and endurance of the Irish people that we are now poised to exit the bailout programme, that we are seeing the creation of new jobs, and that, at last, we can emerge from the dark night and see a new dawn for our country.

We have now come through the worst economic crisis in the history of this State. The people of Ireland have endured much, but we are now at last on the threshold of recovery. As a result of the work of this Labour Party and Fine Gael Government over the past two and a half years, we were able in this budget to ease the burden somewhat on hard-pressed families. The Ministers, Deputies Noonan and Howlin, have introduced a budget this year which is focused and directed at increasing employment opportunities, especially for the young. We have done enough in this budget to exit the bailout and end the national shame which Fianna Fáil brought to our shores.

Let nobody, especially no Member of these Houses, put that bailout exit and recovery at risk.

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