Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this worthwhile and important Private Members' motion and commend Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan on bringing it forward.

We need a new budgetary process in this State. There is has been much talk of the need for evidence-based decisions but there does not appear to be much action in this regard. Every year, we are treated to the leaking of most of the budget proposals to the media but we never see leaks on the basis of the choices that can be made. Every decision that the Government makes around budget time has consequences but there is no discussion in advance of the budget of the choices that Government faces. With evidenced-based decision making, the reality of those choices can be seen in advance and the rational for the decision can be looked at and considered. It is the prerogative of the Government to make the decisions that it wants but it must be able to stand over them and accept the choices made. If human rights budgeting was part of the process, would we have seen the cutbacks to disability payments for young people in the 2012 budget? Would Government have walked itself into the mess of the medical card probity budget of 2014? Evidence-based decision making could have saved this Government from some embarrassing climb downs and could have given it some credibility with citizens.

If a Government wants to make decisions based on ideology, so be it. That is why we have politics and democracy. However, if a Government makes decisions that harm sectors of society, then it should be able to stand over them on ideological grounds. I believe we need a process that is more open and discusses options openly. Whether that is called equality budgeting or human rights budgeting, it does not really matter. We need a process that can show the possible impacts in advance. The Government and the Dáil can then make decisions based on all the facts. I believe that we should always attempt to make the least bad decisions.

The papers today reported on the longitudinal study Growing up in Ireland that has some interesting findings in relation to children growing up in a recession. According to one of the authors of the report, the findings of lingering stress were surprising. In this regard, she said: "It did not fade away in the space of two to four years. It is worse to be stuck in poverty than to get out of it, but we are finding an effect later. That would be a concern." She went on to say: "Financial stress can manifest itself in children being less confident and more fearful. Some have problems concentrating and others feel low." That is just one example of the impact of decisions that Government makes. Obviously, the recession would have happened anyway and the Government is not responsible for it but it is responsible for the decisions that were made by it, which increased stress on society. What would a study that looked at the impact of the recession on the disabled, the elderly and carers have to say about the stress and strain of existing in the current climate? I am sure the results would be the same.

I have listened tonight to Government Deputies use the "There Is No Alternative", TINA, excuse. The reality is that there was and are alternatives. Much depends on whether Government wants to look at them or not. The Government did not have to introduce a budget this year that gave more back in tax to better off workers, with those earning over €70,000 gaining more cash-in-hand than a worker on the minimum wage. That was a choice.

The implementation of human rights budgeting would test the changes against basic principles. We on this side of the House would make our decisions based on human rights, not on benefiting the constituency that this Government wants to represent. Even if we accepted the TINA excuse for the budgets up to this year, the Government can no longer hide behind it. Now is the time to use the recovery to assist those that have carried the can for the regressive budgets of the past six years. Now is the time to refocus budgeting on human rights and equality, making sure that the inequalities in our society are addressed. This Government failed to use the recession to protect people. Perhaps it will use the recovery to benefit them.

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