Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I sincerely thank the members of the Technical Group for allowing me to use some of their speaking time. I acknowledge the presence of the Minister in the Chamber.

I wish to place a number of points on the record. The first of these relates to the Dáil tolerating the drip-feeding - in the Government's favour - of details relating to the budget in the weeks before its introduction. What happened in this regard was ridiculous. In the past, Ministers of State were sacked because information relating to the budget was leaked. No Government should engage in the type of behaviour we saw from this Administration in the lead-up to the budget. For example, there was a real element of cohesion involving certain sectors of the media and particular Government Ministers. Nobody can deny that. In the week prior to the budget, the Minister for Social Protection was obliged to preside over issues such as the abolition of the death grant and attack people who were in a really bad position in the first instance. On the following Sunday, and under a suitably nice picture of her, one of the newspapers referred to that Minister as "Wonder Woman". One could not make it up. In return for statements about Wonder Woman, there was a constant stream of leaks from the Cabinet table. That should not be tolerated by the Minister for Finance. I wish to make one thing clear, namely, that I absolutely do not believe the Minister opposite engaged in the type of behaviour to which I refer. I would not want any aspersions to be cast on his character in that regard. The Minister, who is a respected and long-serving Member of the House, is too much of a serious and respected politician to engage in such behaviour. However, the process of leaking is happening under the Minister's nose and under that of the Taoiseach. I am of the view that leaking is wrong.

As the Minister is aware, for the first time in 25 years members of the farming community are faced with the prospect of trying to survive in the absence of any type of agri-environmental schemes. The rural environment protection scheme, REPS, was great in that the money from it went back into local communities. If they get money, farmers will spend it. However, REPS and the agri-environmental options scheme, AEOS, have been both brought to an end. Farmers are currently experiencing great difficulties in obtaining their area-based payments. This is because large areas of land have been deemed to be ineligible. Much of the land in the more marginal parts of the country contains rocks, lakes, furze bushes and rushes and we have been informed that this land is no longer eligible. In the past, people were told they could let this land but now they have been informed that it cannot be considered for area-based payment purposes.

Young people are leaving the country in massive numbers. This will lead to a situation whereby the country will be deprived of a generation of people and their youngsters. This is because, unfortunately, many of the individuals who have left Ireland will not return. In that context, I wish to highlight a matter I tried to raise on the Order of Business and which relates to the simple things the Government could be doing to make life easier for these people. Instead, it is making life harder for them. I refer to the centralising of the processing of driving licences. Under the new system, young people who are out of the country must return here to renew their licences. How can they do that if they are working abroad? These individuals do not have enough money to return from Australia, Canada or Dubai to have their pictures taken and obtain new driving licences.

I compliment the Minister on retaining the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector. At a certain point he put the wind up all of us when he hinted that the rate might revert to its original level or perhaps somewhere in between. I compliment the Irish Hotels Federation, the Restaurants Association of Ireland and politicians on all sides who campaigned vigorously in respect of this matter and I commend the Minister on listening to what they had to say. This measure, which he introduced in the first instance, is both self-financing and imaginative. I may be wrong but I believe the Minister previously stated that he introduced the measure even though he was not asked to do so. Of course he was asked to do so because we were all telling him to take action to help an industry that was on its knees. I accept he was good enough to reduce the rate to 9%.

I welcome the home improvement scheme but it does not go far enough.

Initiatives are being introduced to enhance and renew towns. Why does the Government not introduce incentives for village renewal? We are all familiar with villages which are dying and in a state of decay. The introduction of a measure to encourage people to renovate properties in villages would provide a massive boost to the economy, both locally and nationally. I implore the Minister to introduce such a scheme as it would mean a great deal in villages. We hear much about cities and towns but we should not forget our villages, many of which pre-date our towns and cities. Do I have much time left?

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