Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It would be great if we could bottle some of the delight, enthusiasm and positivity from last night's match and bring it to our economy and today's economic statement.

I did not get the opportunity to speak on other Estimates. I would like to make a couple of points on justice. We know the Garda need more resources, in terms of the increase in numbers, equipment, technology and asset profilers, but there is another aspect to this, namely, prevention. In many Departments, the prevention aspects are the Cinderella part when it comes to budgets.

This area will require cross-departmental co-operation with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in order to continue resources and support for the diversionary projects run through the Department of Justice and Equality. Such projects are in place in the north inner city, and are positive and creative ways of diverting and encouraging young people away from crime and antisocial behaviour, thereby building resilience and strategies for them to cope with problems, in particular intimidation from drug debt. That intimidation fuels even further drug-related activity. I am particularly pleased that we will have mini-CABs, something for which I have asked for a number of years.

We discussed the arts yesterday. If there could be a link between arts, justice and children and youth affairs, there would be potential to consider much more creative preventative measures for young people. In the long run, that would be much more cost-effective.

I refer to the language used in the summer economic statement, which refers to growth of 7.8% and states that our budgetary position is on a safe and sustainable path. We know that offers very little comfort to those who are struggling, whether through illness, disability, mental health issues, a lack of decent work, poor housing, emergency housing or homelessness. While a rainy day fund is all very fine in theory, it is very difficult to accept when resources and funding are needed now to deal with very basic matters.

In the foreword, I was struck by the phrase "Recovery is now firmly established". I would love to believe that. It is probably true for certain sections of society, but we know that it is very definitely not universal. In mid-April, I, Deputy Wallace and others sat on the Committing on Housing and Homelessness, which continued until the week before last. The committee brought home to us the stark reality of life for those in very difficult and deplorable living conditions, whether because of mortgage difficulties, increases in rent or mental health or addiction issues, who ended up homeless and in emergency accommodation. The talk of economic recovery is meaningless while that situation persists.

We can do things right. Sophia housing on Sean McDermott Street was opened this week by the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and it provides excellent accommodation. Last year, Peader Kearney House opened and the year before that Patrick Heaney housing. We can do things well, but a sense of urgency and impetus are required to get things going. There is no economic recovery if over 2,000 children are living in emergency accommodation, people continue to live in direct provision and we consign former prisoners and those in recovery from addiction to a revolving door.

We have to be ambitious about the housing targets. The cranes are back and building is going on, but my fear is that a certain kind of housing is being built, which is mainly for workers in companies such as Google. The type of housing that is needed for those who require social and affordable housing is further down the line. Funding is core and I hope the recommendations from the Committee on Housing and Homelessness will be taken on board.

The Minister and I share the same constituency, and I know that he knows that economic recovery is not firmly established in parts of Dublin Central. Unemployment levels, for example, are still considerably higher than the national average of 8% and are higher again for young males with addresses in Dublin 1. Our city has huge potential when it comes to culture and heritage. There are areas which are very much in need of repair and maintenance. Our city needs to be more energy efficient and we need more retrofitting of buildings to attain climate change targets and ensure we are cost efficient. There is great potential for local long-term unemployed people to be targeted with a policy of positive discrimination. We know that decent work has to be at the core of employment because there is no point in saying that our employment figures are rising if people are not in decent work that allows them to live with dignity.

The summer economic statement is probably good for investors and economists, but I do not represent many of them. That brings me to our growing dependence on foreign direct investment. Recently, TASC warned about this as being increasingly problematic. Total employment in the sector is estimated at 174,000 people out of a total employment of 2 million. I do not think any other European country approximates to that level. The nominal corporation tax rate is 12.5%, but we know the effective rate is far off that. It would be good to see a commitment to more openness and transparency so that we know exactly what revenue is being generated.

Since 2000, there has been a major deficit in the number of GPs in the city centre. There are very significant and serious health needs in the area. There is a correlation between those from lower socio-economic groups when it comes to ill-health, rates of cancer and obesity. We have been waiting on a primary care centre for a long time, and it will not be in place for another three years. We need public expenditure on services as well as capital projects.

We are a small and open economy and the experience of the recent crisis years demonstrates the swings. The usual line is that recession will lead into recovery, but recovery also leads into recession unless it is managed efficiently and fairly. We know the contrast in our constituency between the high-flying economy and the debris for families.

I am always struck by two lines from a Don Baker song of 20 years ago or more, "[L]iving in a one room slum ain't easy... No place for kids to play while you build your motorway". It is very sad that we are seeing that happen again in recent years. Economic choices are available, and what will happen in the north inner city can be challenging but it can also be the micro of the macro in addressing those challenges.

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