Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is the second night in a row that I am on the graveyard shift, having taken us up to midnight last night. One's chances of getting on "Oireachtas Report" must be increased if one speaks before the programme is broadcast, so I might get some coverage tonight.

I outlined last night my general welcome for the budget and the progress we have made in recent years. I compared this budget with some of the budgets that were introduced in the last part of the previous decade and the early part of this decade. In my sixth year in the House, I gladly welcome budget 2017 compared with what we had in 2011.

We have come a long way. We have a long way to go, but we are certainly moving in the right direction. Last night, I mentioned the progress we have made in areas like social protection, housing and the 9% VAT rate for tourism and hospitality.

The possible equalisation of diesel and petrol prices, which was discussed publicly prior to the budget, caused a great deal of concern for me and for many people in my constituency. As a rural dweller and a representative of a rural constituency in this House, I feel such an anti-rural move would represent a major step backwards. Many people have invested in diesel cars and other diesel vehicles for environmental and economic reasons. Any move by the Government to change the current policy in this regard would be detrimental. It is not something I would welcome. I am glad the Government listened to our concerns and decided there would be no diesel excise increase in this budget. I hope that will also be the case in future budgets. This would have been a very negative development at a time when insurance premiums are skyrocketing and the general cost of motoring is increasing. I am glad it did not happen. The recent decision by OPEC to cut production could lead to a further increase in oil prices in the time ahead. That is not something we can ignore. I am glad this proposal was not pursued in last week's budget. I hope it will be shelved in future budgets because it would have a detrimental impact on the agricultural sector and on hauliers. It would be a retrograde step and I am glad it is not happening.

I want to mention some of the measures that were taken in the budget in respect of agriculture. The introduction of the sheep scheme is a positive move because it represents a major step forward in animal welfare and, in particular, will result in a welcome injection of cash for rural areas. This is a welcome new development for sheep farmers in some of the most challenging terrain in the country, who have been very hard-pressed in recent years. I look forward to its implementation. Having spoken to people in my constituency last weekend, I know it has been warmly received. It is a major step in the right direction. The loan scheme for farmers is also quite timely and most helpful in light of the huge pressures many farmers are under. I anticipate that there will be a very high takeup of this scheme. It will be of assistance in these difficult and uncertain times, particularly in the context of Brexit. I am sure it will be availed of. The provision for the expansion of the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme is also most welcome. This was a good budget for agriculture and for farmers at a very challenging time. The reversal of the cuts in farm assist that were previously imposed is also welcome. I am pleased that there will now be increased opportunities for participation in the rural social scheme. Many people in my constituency would have suffered as a result of those measures. It is quite fitting that they have now been addressed. It will make life easier for people.

While the reduction of half a percentage point in the 1%, 3% and 5.5% universal social charge rates is to be welcomed, I would have preferred to have seen greater decreases. Nevertheless, this is a step in the right direction. I maintain that further cuts would generate further revenue for the Exchequer and would lead to a greater return. In many parts of this country where the improving economy has not come fully across the threshold, people's tax burden is seriously hampering their spending power and their ability to live with any degree of comfort. I feel our tax policy could address this quite speedily. I understand the point that there is an initial outlay when it comes to things like reductions in the universal social charge, but I feel there would be a greater benefit from such reductions in this instance. It would reduce the cost of employment and make work more rewarding. It would bring down replacement rates and make it easier for people to spend and contribute to further economic growth. I would like to see the trend of reductions in the universal social charge continuing in future budgets. I hope the 0.5% rate will be abolished next year. We might also see serious movement on the 2.5% rate, as it will be in 2017. This would be a major help. I think we need to pursue such reductions because the lowest earners would be the highest beneficiaries. This will not be possible without prudent economic management and continued growth. That is why it is important for us to keep going in the direction we are going by managing things well.

The last few years have been very difficult for the education sector. Thankfully, we have been able to spend more in recent budgets. It is fantastic that 2,400 additional teachers will come on stream in the coming year. Every cent we invest in the Department of Education and Skills is well spent because it is invested in the future of this country and its people. We will get a massive return on it. Outside of the human aspect of giving people a great start and every opportunity in life, the economic side of it is that money spent on education is a good investment. It is something we should continue to do. I would like to see further efforts made to reduce the thresholds, especially in small rural schools. I spent my first five years in this House fighting the Department and the Minister of the day on the issue of thresholds in rural schools. I felt there was a lack of recognition in the Department of the importance and relevance of such schools. I think we need to do more work on this issue. The value of these schools is not always appreciated by people in officialdom. As a representative of the people, I certainly value small schools and the massive work that is done in such schools in every community in the country. We need to protect and enhance the personalised approach to education that is delivered in small schools. We can do that by reducing the thresholds for teacher allocation. We need to do more on four-teacher and three-teacher schools, in particular, because the thresholds are too high and need to revert to pre-2012 levels, at least. There is no need to stop there. We need to drive on further into the future.

It is fantastic that we will reach a record level of expenditure on health in 2017. It was probably unthinkable a few years ago that we would be in this position. Health expenditure needs to be targeted at those areas that can achieve the best results for us. I still think we do not spend enough on protecting people and giving them the ability to live with dignity in their own homes, alone or otherwise. We do not do enough on preventative health measures. We need to do more on that front. We do not spend enough money on home care packages, given that it is money well spent. We end up with problems at acute level when we do not invest in home help, which is so crucial and vital for people. I cannot understand the reluctance to open the purse strings in this respect. I do not know why we are not spending money on something that is so important to people all over this country. I hugely welcome the extension of medical cards to all children in respect of whom domiciliary allowance is being received. It is long overdue. Anyone who is in receipt of domiciliary allowance is getting it for the right reasons and for serious reasons.

This is something I have been advocating for a long time and I am glad it is happening.

I welcome the recruitment of nurses and graduate nurses. However, a particular group of nurses has been left behind. These nurses were previously on temporary contracts, but they have now gone to the back of the queue. A number of constituents have contacted me. They are experiencing difficulty in being recruited. They had been working for 75% of the salary all along. Now, they are at the back of the queue when it comes to recruitment. This needs to be addressed given that we are experiencing difficulties in recruiting nurses. This is an area the Department needs to look at.

I am keen to speak about another issue that has arisen in my constituency. It relates to health care provision, in particular, for disability services, an area which is still chronically under-funded. The model of de-congregation being pursued at present by the Health Service Executive does not fit everyone. There should not be a one-size-fits-all policy. An example in my constituency is St. Mary of the Angels in Beaufort, where all 77 residents have been contacted and offered a move into the community. That is great for the people for whom it is suitable, but for many it will not be suitable. Yet, the policy in place at present is to seek de-congregation. This needs to be changed; there needs to be a middle ground. There needs to be de-congregation but perhaps in a protected and safe setting. For example, it could be done on-campus in St. Mary of the Angels and autonomous living could be provided within the campus. Such a common-sense approach needs to be adopted.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the great progress made in child care. We have come a long way. First, we had the free preschool year and then we had the second free preschool year. Now, we have this year's efforts to reduce the cost of child care for hard-pressed parents. This will further lead to a reduction in replacement rates and will make it more affordable for people to go back to work. It is a step in the right direction. We need to keep going and take further steps in future budgets, but certainly I welcome this measure.

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