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

This budget is the final roll of the dice from a Government that has run out of ideas and is about to run out of road. This budget presented a golden opportunity to the Government to make a statement about our values as a country and to set out a vision for our Republic as we approach a series of centenary commemorations. It was an opportunity to make the right choices. The decision the Government has made in the budget says a lot about its priorities. The essential task it faced in today's budget was to get the balance right between rewarding work and investing in vital services on which citizens depend. The Government has failed to strike the right balance.

There is no getting away from the fact that as we approach the end of this Government's term in office, 1,500 children will sleep in emergency accommodation in our country tonight. There is no getting away from the fact that almost half a million people are on hospital waiting lists and that it is almost impossible for families who are caring for loved ones to get a home care package or to get home help in this country today. I could go on. I regret that I see nothing in this budget that will make a real difference to those people and many others who need our help at this time. A meaningful recovery simply must address those issues.

Instead of claiming the recovery as its own creation, the Government should give credit to ordinary people throughout the length and breadth of this country who refused to yield in the face of the worst economic crisis in decades. It should give the credit to the owners of small businesses-----

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