Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is clear that the Taoiseach and his Cabinet are making economic decisions from their ivory tower. Let us deal with the reality here. The State faces major social crises. As we speak, there are hundreds of people on hospital trolleys. This morning, more than 4,000 children woke up in emergency accommodation. Despite the fact that we have very strict fiscal rules, we can spend an additional €1.4 billion to deal with these crises, yet the Government in its ivory tower has decided not to do so. Its message is clearly "Suck it up and wait". That is the wrong decision. It is socially irresponsible. It is economically irresponsible to fail to invest following a lost decade of underinvestment. We have had the lowest capital spending in Europe. While there is an increase in capital spending now, it is not reaching the European average, never mind dealing with the fact that we have had a decade of underinvestment.

What does the Taoiseach say to the young child this morning who left hotel accommodation to get two buses to his or her primary school? What does he say when that child asks why the Government cannot build the homes people need even though €1.4 billion is available under the fiscal rules? What does the Taoiseach say to a child who has been waiting for two years for an assessment because the Government will not provide the resources? What does he say to the 19 people in my constituency who are lying on trolleys today while a ward with 19 beds remains closed and management seeks €1.8 million to open it to allow these people to be treated with dignity and the professionals in the hospital to work in a proper environment?

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