Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

First, I congratulate you, a Cheann Comhairle, on your appointment and wish you well in your role as Ceann Comhairle of the Thirty-Second Dáil.

On the various nominations, this new Dáil must see a fundamental departure from the failed policies of the past two Dáileanna. The past two Governments had the choice to protect the most vulnerable in society but instead both of them chose to protect the super rich, the bankers and the bondholders. There are now at least 1,600 children in emergency hotel accommodation. The Irish Association for Emergency Medicine claims that between 300 and 350 unnecessary deaths take place each year due to trolley chaos in our hospitals. This is more than the carnage on our roads. Yesterday, for example, there were 32 people on trolleys in South Tipperary General Hospital. In University Hospital Limerick, which serves the northern part of Tipperary, there were 50 people on trolleys. This is completely unacceptable and must be addressed urgently.

The people have rejected the approach of the Fine Gael-Labour Party Government and of the previous Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government. Both of those Governments caused this human emergency. This new Dáil must take a radically different course to the two previous Dáileanna. It must take a course that prioritises human need for adequate medical treatment, including death prevention and the care of all the children of the nation above all else. I believe there is and should be no higher priority.

Accordingly, I ask the new Dáil to enact the following emergency measure as its first legislative act, namely, that Dáil Éireann set aside and cancel all reductions in universal social charge and-or income taxation granted in the 2016 budget to the 5% of income recipients with the highest incomes and instruct the Government to bring forward amending legislation to enact this measure immediately. Today, I submitted a Private Members' motion to that effect. Approximately €125 million will be saved by this measure. This money should be immediately applied to rescue homeless children and prevent unnecessary deaths due to hospital chaos. This is the least we might expect on the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. While this measure will, of course, not be enough to remedy the problems of homelessness and inadequate human services into the future, it will ameliorate the position in the short term while fundamental policy changes are formulated and enacted by the new Dáil. More importantly, it would give a signal that fundamental choices which prioritise the well-being of human beings above all else will be taken by this Dáil.

Broken promises are eroding democracy and flouting the will of the people. This Dáil must ensure that citizens are centre stage, with an ongoing input into the democratic process, including the recall of Deputies and the reintroduction into our Constitution of the people's entitlement to instigate referenda and legislation. I intend to submit proposals to that effect to the new reform committee, which I understand will be established later this afternoon.

As a founder member of the Right2Water group, it goes without saying that I will support the abolition of water charges. These charges and the family home tax are regressive measures designed to load the burden of the crash on those on low and middle incomes, who had no hand, act or part in creating the crisis. These taxes are designed to protect the super rich from fair taxation. A situation in which the Exchequer is paying more than €7 billion per year in interest at the expense of under-funded public services must not continue. That portion of the debt which arises from the compensation of large investors from their failed investments in private banks must be mutualised and negotiations must be reopened immediately on this issue with the European Union authorities.

I contested the recent general election as part of the Right2Water, Right2Change alliance. Therefore, I will be voting for candidates nominated for Taoiseach who supported and were part of that alliance, namely, Deputies Richard Boyd Barrett and Gerry Adams, and will oppose the pro-austerity nominees of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

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