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

We accept and very much welcome that a recovery is under way. It raises fundamental questions for us as a people. What kind of recovery do we want? Do we want a fair and inclusive recovery across the economy? Do we want to bridge the divide between urban and rural? Do we want to bridge the growing divide between those who have and those who certainly have not and have lost most under the Government's tenure?

I welcome that the Government has made a fundamental shift in its budgetary policy today. It has moved from the situation, when it was introducing austerity, where it had €2 of expenditure cuts for €1 of tax increases. Today it has shifted to what we have been advocating for a prolonged period of time, which is a 50:50 scenario. However, it has done enormous damage to the fabric of society in the manner in which it has introduced fiscal consolidation in the last four budgets.

I know the Minister does not want to hear it and he is shaking his head in denial. He is in complete denial of what is going on out there. He is in denial about the thousands of young children with special needs who are awaiting urgent intervention services. He is in denial about the many elderly people throughout the country who are being denied access to nursing home beds because of cuts to funding.

I referred earlier to the 1,000 children who will be sleeping in emergency accommodation in Dublin tonight.

A full Croke Park on all-Ireland final day accommodates more than 80,000 people. The Minister, Deputy Noonan, can imagine County Limerick in the final if he so wishes.

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