Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First I must say that I am unhappy with the time allocation. I respect everyone here but backbenchers like me would like to speak for longer than the four minutes and five seconds that I have left, notwithstanding the fact that most of my speaking will be praising the Government.

Significant changes have been made in Ireland's unemployment figures, especially in Louth where there has been a 16% drop in the last year. This is very welcome indeed. Lots more families are working and family income is going up. Older people will have an increase in their pensions. Disability allowances and benefits will increase.

There is increasing confidence in Ireland. Having come through the roughest of times and the most difficult of times, particularly for poorer families and those who lost their jobs, there is confidence that Ireland is undeniably and absolutely on the right course. I very much welcome the decisions that the Government has made in the budget. It is a sign of the times and is the way things are moving forward incrementally.

In education I welcome the reduction in the pupil teacher ratio, especially as it relates to younger students. They will learn more and learn better if classes are smaller.

I welcome the commitment made in the budget to the Laytown-Bettystown link road, approval for which was given in 2016. This will commence as soon as the approvals are sought. I am disappointed that the Ardee bypass has not been announced, and Deputy Breathnach had better back me on this. It is very badly needed. The town of Ardee is expected to double in size. The capacity of the sewerage system there has been increased from 5,000 to 10,000 population equivalents. Over the next years Ardee town is going to grow phenomenally. If we do not have the western bypass of Ardee then the town will come to a shuddering and unacceptable halt. I want to make it clear that people are very unhappy with this. It is the view of my constituents and it is my view and, as everybody knows, councillor Dolores Minogue will be very cross until this bypass is announced. She is a very active campaigner who lives in the town.

The biggest need in the State is housing. I welcome the significant increase in the budget for housing. I am, however, disappointed that the empty homes tax was not included in the budget. It ought to have been included and it is essential that it happens, even though there might be a dispute over the numbers of houses that may or may not be vacant. There is undeniably a significant number of houses in rent pressure zone areas that are empty, have been empty for more than one year and are not principal private residences. We are definitely encouraging the owners to let the houses through an additional allowance in the budget relating to pre-letting costs. More pressure could be put on those who do not need the homes for themselves so the houses could be put on the market and made available for families who are living in hostels and hotels.

The Ardee bypass and the empty homes tax are the key minuses I see in this budget. They should have been included. I do, however, welcome the progress that has been made. County Louth has benefitted significantly from the return to economic prosperity. My concerns about the Border and about Brexit are shared by the Government and by all Deputies in the House. I hope that the impact of Brexit, no matter how soft it might be, will not have a negative impact on our local economy. I welcome the Government's line that it is up to the British Government to define and defend its proposals. It is not Ireland's job to find the solution for them. The answer is that there must be no Border. For our economy North and South to continue to grow, Northern Ireland must remain part of the common travel area and must remain part of the customs union.

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