Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak to this legislation. I warmly welcome the debate, as it gives Deputies an opportunity to examine the finances of the State and how taxpayers' money can be most effectively spent.

Sometimes an impression is given that certain groups, specifically poorer sections of society, do not contribute. This idea is wrong and should be hit on the head in this debate. All citizens are taxpayers and contribute to the economy.

The impression is also given that the well-off are the only group who are feeling the pinch. The opposite is the case. While the wealthy may have to forgo one foreign holiday, others have problems in putting food on the table or paying the household charge or water tax. These are the economic problems many face. Let us not forget the squeezed poor and low paid who have suffered in recent years as a result of the Government's austerity policies.

In discussing how public money is spent and the effectiveness of such spending we must look closely at what is being done in 2014. We must not forget those on low incomes. A recent ESRI survey found that the less affluent had suffered most in recent budgets. In other words, the poorer sections of society were hammered again.

The Minister of State referred to financial housekeeping. Many of us have challenged the way in whcih the Government approaches financial housekeeping. The number of children living in poverty has increased and the position is getting worse. The school completion programme in my constituency is an excellent project which operates breakfast clubs and provides supports for disadvantaged children. One project supports 1,800 primary schoolchildren. This week the budget for the programme was cut by €47,000. This project ensures children are fed in the morning and can attend school. Since it commenced, the attendance rate at primary school of the 1,800 at-risk children who participate in it has increased to 95%. Some of the children are from very poor families, with several living in hotels. These measly cuts need to be challenged when discussing the figures set out in the Bill.

The budget did not provide for the full reinstatement of the respite care grant. Many families are under severe pressure.

Many of them also have family members who have a disabled child, perhaps a disabled adult child. I would ask the Minister and all the whizz-kids in the Department of Finance to look at this particular issue in the near future and return the full respite care grant because people are suffering out there.

Another issue which really gives me a bad pain in the head is when I hear people, particularly members of the Labour Party, say they protected people on social welfare. The under-25s are still on €100, down from €188 and, despite people jumping up and down in here every day about housing, we saw the horrific €20 million cut to rent supplement. What does that mean? It might just be a figure to some people but 8,000 people in this State were affected by that cut. We all know what has happened in regard to the health Estimates and what happened off-balance sheet with Irish Water. Many of the figures I have heard and which have been presented in this House are off the rails and we have Fr. Ted economics coming out of some people. In recent days we have seen the crisis in regard to Beaumont Hospital, where funding is needed to get 100 people into proper home support and home care packages in order to free up accident and emergency.

This is all related to housekeeping. The Minister of State said the Bill is an essential piece of housekeeping which we in the Dáil are required to undertake. I am saying this housekeeping fails dismally. He also said the passage of the Bill will allow the payments to deliver our public services. The Government's record on public services in the past four years has been a disaster. Let us look at the 15% cut to disability services and the fact nothing has been done about class sizes, meaning we have the highest class sizes in the European Union. It is very important, when we are discussing these figures and this Bill, that we deal with this in a comprehensive manner.

To go back to the legislation, the primary function of the Appropriation Bill is to give statutory authority for the amounts voted by the Dáil during the year, either by way of Revised Estimates or Supplementary Estimates. The Bill also provides for definitive capital carryover from 2014 to 2015. The statutory authority for this was introduced in the Finance Act 2004, which specified that the amounts, by Vote, must be included in the annual Appropriation Act. On an important point, when we dig deeper into the Bill, we see it also includes a section which provides for receipts from excise duties on tobacco, which currently accrue to the HSE under Vote 39 but will transfer to the Office of the Minister for Health under Vote 38 when the disestablishment of the Vote of the HSE occurs. It is very important that we understand health is something that has to be protected, and I would support any Minister in any party who does that. However, at all times, it must be cost effective and value for money as public money must be spent wisely by everybody. It is the same with excise duties. Those who are paying excise duties make a massive contribution to the wider debate.

The legislation will, first, give statutory effect to the individual 2014 Estimates, including the Supplementary Estimates, and will formally appropriate the various sums which the Dáil has voted over the year. Second, it will authorise the utilisation of certain departmental receipts as appropriation-in-aid for specific services mentioned in this legislation. Third, it will provide for the carryover of capital savings by Vote. Those are the specific issues dealt with in the legislation. The important point, when we talk about housekeeping and the legal basis for all existing voted expenditure to continue into 2015, is that we ensure public money is spent wisely.

I welcome the opportunity to make these points in regard to the Appropriation Bill. It is important that we recognise that value for taxpayers' money is an essential part but also that the major cuts to services that have happened in recent years have been a disaster for the country, for the people and for the economy. Again, I urge caution when spending public money in the next 12 months.

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