Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I welcome the opportunity to respond to, analyse, scrutinise and debate the budget. I do so in the full knowledge that this Dáil and the Government are not conventional compared to previous Administrations. It is in that context that one must respond to and pass judgment on the budget. Although I do not wish to repeat what I have said before when debating the governance of the country, I must reiterate the obligation and duty we had after the last election. Although the result was convoluted, there was an obligation to seek to form a Government. We tried ourselves and sought support for our own leader based on the much improved vote we had achieved, in an effort to give value to the votes cast in our favour. We did not get the required numbers and, that being the case, we reassessed the situation and saw fit to enter into a process of negotiation whereby we could be in a position to facilitate the formation of a Government while exerting our influence on the road it would take in order to address many of the issues that had been raised during the course of the election campaign.

What came out of that was the confidence and supply arrangement. The Independents opposite who now have an alliance that is part of Government would not enter any conversation with potential Government partners until such time as we had made that provision. There was a huge onus of responsibility on us and we took it seriously. We think it was the right thing to do. Its success or failure would be determined by the ability of Government to adhere to the principles agreed within the confidence and supply arrangement. Some said it was novel but it is very simple and straightforward. It is a matter of public record and, if anyone wishes to go through it or examine the issues that were agreed, they will see there has been progress on many of the elements contained therein.

Fianna Fáil contends and independent assessment has confirmed that previous budgets by Fine Gael-led Governments over the last five years were regressive and unfair, with a 50-50 split between taxation and the provision of public services. It is quite obvious that this approach failed miserably because public services broke down in the areas of health, housing and education. That was reflected in the ensuing election result. The electorate rejected the Fine Gael-Labour Party way. They rejected the contention maintained by many in Fine Gael that a recovery had taken hold throughout the country. Fine Gael campaigned to be returned to government in a position of strength and dominance to continue that notional recovery. It would have had the electorate believe that the recovery had reached every home and that there was regional development. In contrast, Fianna Fáil campaigned seeking an Ireland for all. We campaigned for fairness, and recognised the need for greater emphasis on improved public services. Convoluted as it was, the election result afforded us an opportunity to influence the Government. The opportunity was not to partake in government but to facilitate it while also retaining the right as an Opposition party to pursue policy agendas and resolutions to issues as they arise and as the public and our membership would have us do. It gave value to those who cast votes in our favour. As for the other parties that walked away from the process and saw an opportunity for another election or a series of them, I do not think they were fair or true to their voters. Having seen as a very young person the damage elections in the 1980s did to the potential stability of the economy and the country, it was the dutiful thing for us to do and I am glad in hindsight that we took that route. There is much potential remaining to be explored by virtue of having done so.

Such agreements have a huge element of trust associated with them.

The Government has to be true to its word. It has to follow through on announcements and provide action to match the rhetoric. That has not always been the case. There have been times when that trust has been tested. In the interest of those who gave us the responsibility we have, we were in a position to get over them to move on and deal with greater issues. For example, there was the Water Services Bill 2017 and the pathway put in place to deal with that issue. As important as it was, it needed to be dealt with appropriately, based on the compromises which had arisen from both parties. It had to be dealt with effectively and to allow the Dáil and the Government to move on and deal with more pressing items.

There are five pillar areas which underpin the agreement, namely, the economy; industrial relations and public sector pay; securing affordable homes and tackling homelessness; creating decent jobs and supporting enterprise; and cutting costs for families and improving public services. In the round, there has been some progress. When one looks specifically at the budget, it is not earth shattering, however. It will not set many records nor excite many people. It is modest, balanced, fair and progressive, as against what went before it with the Fine Gael-led Government in the previous five years. The budget at least contains the 2:1 split in favour of expenditure and investment in public services over tax reductions. The Taoiseach said as much last night. Without our influence and our confidence and supply agreement, he would not have said that. Instead, it would have been the Fine Gael way with a 50:50 split leading to an unfair diminishment of public services, specifically in the areas of health, education and housing, like what happened during its previous tenure.

There have been failings by the Government too. As time progresses, we can scrutinise its performance in more detailed fashion, comparing it to the rhetoric, announcements and commitments given in the programme for Government. For example, it has failed miserably in housing. To deal with the lack of real progress over the past several years, all sides of the House contributed to the all-party Committee on Housing and Homelessness. This was one of the first actions taken by the Dáil. We contributed to the consultation process initiated by the Minister opposite, Deputy Coveney. He had wide-ranging consultation with the stakeholders, the correct course of action, which culminated in the document, Rebuilding Ireland. There were parts of it with which we disagreed and elements we would have added. However, in the main, we recognised it for what it was - a good document which had potential. However, we pointed out its success depended on its implementation.

Unfortunately, the Government has flattered to deceive in this area. Targets have been set but missed, deadlines broken and action has not matched the rhetoric. There is more to this than the sound bite, a point which has become apparent to many. There is more to it than the photo op exercise or the glossy public relations stunt. The new special €5 million communications unit in the Taoiseach's office will find that out in time too. The Minister who went into this breach claimed he went out of his way to get into it. However, he sneaked out the back door in recent months leaving others to deal with it.

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