Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The human tragedies in Carrickmines and Omeath over the weekend are a stark reminder of the fragility of life. In the aftermath of such terrible events, the moral support of the community and the professional help of our An Garda Síochána, fire crews, medical staff and social workers, marks out definitively what we are as a society and as a people. In the same way as we need to care for and protect our own people in these dreadful of times, we must also be prepared to do the same for others. The refugee crisis on Europe’s borders demands a practical and generous response from the Irish people, who have a long and proud history of international humanitarianism. The spontaneous and heartfelt response of communities across the country, which is evident in the huge number of offers of assistance and volunteerism, shows that the Irish people will not be found wanting.

Some €25 million will be provided to ensure Ireland is not found wanting in this regard. Funds will be spent on accommodation, additional staffing, integration programmes, and on a new emergency resettlement and orientation centre.

Defence

Some €903 million has been allocated to the Department of Defence. Ireland’s participation in humanitarian operations in the Mediterranean and ongoing peacekeeping missions in the Middle East and elsewhere is a testament to the professionalism and dedication of our armed forces. Everybody in the nation is proud of them. The recently published White Paper on defence provides a framework for a modern, adaptable force that can carry out operations both home and abroad.

For services at home, I am happy to announce that €2 million has been made available to put an emergency aeromedical service on a permanent footing. This service will save lives and give comfort particularly to rural communities.

International development

Even in the most difficult of times, the Government maintained our commitment to fighting global poverty and hunger. As the public finances improve, we will strengthen that commitment. Today, I am allocating over €640 million to official development assistance. Some €486 million will be managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through Irish Aid, with the remainder being administered through other Departments and the EU development co-operation budget.

Irish funding will make a significant contribution to the international aid effort in suffering countries such as Syria, Iraq, Ethiopia and Somalia. The programme will also continue to help people in our key partner countries in some of the worst and poorest parts of the world.

Agriculture

I am allocating €1.3 billion to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Additional funding has been allocated, in particular, to a new agri-environment scheme and to capital investment schemes under the rural development programme. This year’s allocation will also fund a range of new schemes under the seafood development programme set out by the Minister. The programme will drive investment in fisheries and seafood development from now until 2020. Further details of the Estimates are set out in the Estimates report that I have circulated.

Investing in the future

This budget is about the future. It is about using our resources to support communities in every part of the country.

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