Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ar an gcéad dul síos, ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil as an deis labhartha ar na moltaí buiséid a cuireadh os ár gcomhair Dé Máirt, fiú amháin má tá cuid mhaith dóibh pléite go leor cheana féin. I start from a position of being the only elected Teachta Dála in my constituency to take issue with this budget authored largely by Fianna Fáil and presented by Fine Gael. I am the only Teachta Dála who recognises that this was certainly not a budget for all, least of all those that are already struggling. Being the only dissenting voice among the compliant rhetoric of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil elected Members in my area, I feel a certain responsibility to advocate on behalf of all my constituents who feel let down by Tuesday's measures.

We have heard Fianna Fáil claim in the media in recent days that their fingerprints were all over the budget. I find it startling that, although Teachtaí Micheál Martin and Michael McGrath are elected by the constituents of Cork South Central, they failed to advocate or deliver on so many of the issues that face their constituents daily. I am sure UCC students will be delighted to see the lack of investment in third level education, passed by again in this budget, despite shouting from the rooftops on the publication of the Cassells report. I am sure both the students and residents of the area will be delighted to see spiralling rents unaddressed once again, not to mention Fianna Fáil's decision to vote against rent certainty legislation that has been brought before both this House and the Seanad as recently as yesterday evening. I am sure all of those young jobseekers will be very happy with their extra cup of coffee a week they might get from the €2.70 a week increase in their allowance. Fingerprints, indeed. Smiles all around.

Cork Simon Community's latest figures for August have shown an increase of 58% in the number of people sleeping rough compared to August 2015. This was the first budget involving the new Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney. He could have laid down a marker of intent but instead, like those who have gone before him, he has attempted to put a plaster over the gaping wound that is the housing and homelessness crisis. Failure to do anything to control rent increases will undermine anything else the Government does in this budget. Tá tionchar ag na cinntí a dhéanann an Teach seo ar shaolta na mílte daoine are fud na tíre ar bhonn laethúil. The announcement of a pay increase for Teachtaí Dála was audacious to say the least. For many, it would seem like salt in the wounds following on from Tuesday's budget. They have every right to be angry, with Teachtaí Dála due to benefit by €5,000 and the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, set to benefit to the tune of €11,000. Tá sé sin cothrom le leath d'ioncam bliantúil daoine atá ag obair go lán-aimseartha ar an bpá is ísle.

It became clear in the run-up to the budget that it was no longer possible to ignore the outrageous burden placed on parents by the cost of child care. It has become one of the headline issues from the budget. Naturally, additional funding for child care is welcome. However, I believe it is also safe to say the money that has been allocated to the sector, an extra €35.5 million, is entirely inadequate when looked at in the context and considering the amount of investment required. In our alternative budget, Sinn Féin proposed an investment of close to €190 million in the early years sector. That would not only have provided a greater subsidy, but would also have made it more sustainable, dealing with quality and workers conditions. Child care professionals have for far too long been forgotten about and this is once again the case. If we are even to begin to take child care seriously and give a proper commitment to the funding of the early years as a matter of priority, we must invest in the backbone that ensures the child care sector stands upright. The workers themselves must be commended and the commitment they have to providing a high quality service to those children who attend their pre-school goes unquestioned.

On a similar note, much greater assistance needs to be provided for childminders to ensure they can register, starting with the restoration of the childminder advisory service to ensure as many parents and workers as possible can avail of the scheme announced. Caithfimid an tacaíocht atá uathu chun a gcuid oibre a dhéanamh a chur ar fáil agus luach a chur ar an obair sin.

Sinn Féin provided for workers in the form of the extension of the ECCE scheme by five weeks to 43 weeks. This would minimise the time workers would find themselves signing on for unemployment benefits during the summer months as the facilities they work in are unable to pay their wages. Sinn Féin provided for workers in the form of increasing both the lower and higher rate of capitation for preschools and crèches that would allow for extra funding to pay for both quality child care and the improvement of pay and conditions of workers in the area.

All of the above is with a long term vision of professionalisation of the child care sector and giving the workers the respect they deserve. Tá súil agam go bhfuil an fís chéanna ag an Aire.

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