Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

For the Government, the issue is that the means and methods through which it seeks to provide those units are not working and must be addressed.

Despite the commitments to and stated improvements in funding for the health service, the failure has lain in addressing the difficulties with the waiting lists. These may well relate to our difficulties in recruitment and retention, which is the excuse given where the assessment of children with special needs and the availability of GPs throughout the country are concerned.

These are the two central issues of which one must be mindful. If we acknowledge - we all seem to - that there is a housing emergency, it must be the focus of this budget and funds must be made available to improve the situation. However, we cannot ensure that happens if we are also trying to realise the demands placed on some Deputies by the promises on taxation and other concerns that we would all like to see addressed were it not for budgetary rules and regulations and the question of how the budget is packaged.

We must also be mindful of the fact that, although the economy appears to be going well and growing at a rate of between 4% and 5%, we still have a deficit. Any increase in expenditure would fail to recognise the rules to which we and our people committed under the fiscal treaty, and the threat from external factors remains too great to take that risk.

The two previous budgets, though progressive, were not spectacular. Modest gains were made in certain areas because of our commitment to them. Fianna Fáil values stability. It might not be the political thing to do, but it is the right thing to do. Ultimately, people will see that for what it is, how it was meant and the good faith into which it was entered. Having assessed the two budgets and identified where opportunities exist, we have a chance at this juncture to address those issues where there have been abject failures. That remains our commitment and is central to our negotiations in order that we can represent and give value to the votes that were cast in our party's favour. We will do that in good faith.

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