Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Somebody had to take up the cudgel, in all fairness. It and other parties have no credibility in taking decisions, as they dived for cover in 2016. At that time, either we formed a Government, as happened, or we went back to the country. If we had gone back to the country it would have been the very same thing all over again. At the end of the day, parties would have had to get together to try to form a Government to represent and deal with the issues affecting all of the people. In agreeing this budget we have provided economic stability for 2019 when we will all face the consequences of the UK exiting the EU. We are all hopeful of a Brexit deal and it is in the interest of the island of Ireland that we get one.

We have secured an increase in the social housing budget and a €310 million package for an affordable housing scheme over the next three years. This will be aimed at families and individuals who are above the social housing thresholds but cannot afford to own their own home in their local area. Not a single affordable home has been built since 2011, when the scheme was abolished by the previous Government. We all know from our daily work as politicians the number of people outside the income limit who cannot get on a housing list. They cannot get local authority support. They cannot get loans because their incomes are too low. They are caught in a bubble. These are the people we have to help.

There is sufficient State-owned land to build more than 42,000 units. The new scheme will aim to build 2,500 affordable units per annum, with construction starting in 2019. Households on between €30,000 and €75,000 per annum will be eligible. Based on the Rebuilding Ireland home loan criteria, this will cover single income earners above €30,000 but below €50,000 and joint income earners above €30,000 but below €75,000. These households are above the social housing thresholds but cannot reasonably afford to buy a new home. We propose using the Central Bank limit of 3.5 times income as the definition of affordability. Given that the average household income in the State is €57,000, according to the CSO, this means a home of €200,000 is the limit of affordability for most of these people. It takes 59 weeks for a project to go from planning to completion. If the financing is put in place and spending is started in 2019 the 2,500 new units should be place by 2020 and every year after that.

Fianna Fáil has focused on reducing the USC for low and middle income earners. The 4.75% rate has been cut to 4.5% as a result of negotiations. There is also a change to the tax entry point and the minimum wage is due to be increased in January 2019. We have increased social welfare payments by €5. This a total increase of €15 under the confidence and supply arrangement to pension payments, carers allowance and unemployment assistance. There are also USC cuts for low and middle income earners. We have ultimately taken the more difficult path of responsible politics and worked to give effect to our manifesto while keeping faith with our pre-election promises.

Fine Gael, which has been in government since 2011, has stood idly by while rural Ireland, agriculture and farming are going through a very bad patch. The beef genomics scheme, which was referred to earlier, is destroying the beef herd. It is not working. Farmers in the scheme get paid €80 a calf or cow but farmers outside the scheme are gaining another €200 or €300 per calf because they are not in the scheme. There is something wrong when this is happening. It should not be happening. Half of the farmers will not benefit from the money announced yesterday for the suckler scheme because they are not in the scheme. It is a pity this is happening. It needs to be addressed because there is no doubt it is not working.

The agrifood sector is facing a major challenge with the onset of Brexit. Most of our food produce is exported to the UK and this is under serious threat, particularly if a hard Brexit takes place and we see a return to tariffs and trade barriers. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine underspend in capital expenditure is inexcusable given that agriculture is likely to be hardest hit by the UK leaving the EU. There is a complete lack of understanding locally and nationally about how difficult it is to have a small family farm in the west of Ireland. It will be extremely difficult for these people to survive without support and help.

There is no doubt the health service is at breaking point. There are people on trolleys in hospitals where there are closed wards. These wards should be opened and funding should be in place to employ the nurses to deal with these patients, particularly during the winter months. Hospitals are struggling at present, when the weather is quite good.

When we get to winter, people, and elderly people in particular, get the flu and have to go to hospital. We saw what happened last winter when hospitals were bursting at the seams and were unable to cater for the people they had to deal with.

I had a phone call today from a man who applied for a medical card and, as politicians, we all know what it is like dealing with medical card applications. The information sent in might not be right and people get a text or letter six or eight weeks afterwards indicating more information is needed. If the additional information is sent, it can take two weeks before it is looked at, before a request for further information or the application being shut down completely and the entire application is disregarded. That is wrong. I spoke to a man today who sent all the required information and the application had been closed off for three or four months. When the application was made again, we thought everything was in place but he got a text today indicating his house must be valued. What does that have to do with a medical card application when the man is nearly 70 and he should be entitled to the medical card because of his income? I do not understand it and something should be done.

A number of years ago, anyone suffering from cancer would automatically get a medical card. That was in the days of the old health boards, but something has changed in the recent period, unfortunately, and people with cancer do not now automatically get a medical card, although they should. There is enough of a strain and stress on families, including husbands, wives and children, and people need support in such times. It is tough on any family to get such a diagnosis and all people want is a medical card to get them over the hump of the bad times, perhaps for 12 months. It would give them a little confidence and financial support in order that they can recover quickly and without the stress or worry of not knowing what costs are ahead of them in trying to get sorted.

Some time ago I called on the Government to support the provision of disabled persons' parking cards to people with dementia and those suffering from Alzheimer's disease. These people must attend hospital regularly, and the people accompanying these patients must get close to hospital entrances in cars. It is not like a husband or wife can drop his or her partner at the door of a hospital if he or she has dementia before parking the car somewhere else. These patients must be accompanied at all times or else they can wander off. I know it has happened in two cases in Sligo. Such a provision should be considered as it would provide a little support for these people with no big cost involved. It would recognise the difficulties that people go through.

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