Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleagues for sharing their time. I welcome the budget. It is quite a good budget. It is a prudent and balanced budget, which is key. We were using the money of the taxpayer wisely in this budget. I have listened to people today and in the past weeks comment on the different options and choices. Budgets are about choices and direction. I heard many speeches today about delivery and about what will happen with the budget. Governments make the choices in budgets to help them deliver what people need.

It is a coincidence but I was struck on budget night by some of the RTÉ programmes which looked back at 1986 when Irish people were queueing up to board planes to head off for jobs abroad. In 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, Irish people were boarding planes and heading off. That was because of choices made in this House by Fianna Fáil-led Governments and choices at budget time which did not protect the future of this country and did not protect those people and their families who had to board the planes. People need to remember that when it comes to budgets and how we spend our money, which is taxpayers' money, it is about choices and making the right choices to protect the people who live in this country, to protect our families but also to protect and secure their futures.

I listened to Deputy Micheál Martin earlier today. He spoke again about delivery. He questioned what Fine Gael and this Government of Fine Gael and Independents will do to deliver. I will say this much: what we did deliver on is hope. I remember the election in 2011 and meeting people on their doorsteps.

They said there was no future in this country. They had no hope for their children. That was how they felt. There was misery in their eyes. I am proud that we have delivered a balanced budget today. We have delivered nearly full employment. We have delivered hope. People's future is protected and safe because we are using budget choices to make long-term plans. The aim of the Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, my party colleagues and our Independent colleagues is to make long-term sustainable decisions and choices with taxpayers' money. That is what we will continue to deliver.

What did Deputy Micheál Martin choose to do when he was in government? What did he deliver? He delivered more than 300,000 job losses. People got back on planes and headed off again. The election budgets in 2001 and 2002 increased current expenditure by 20% and 15%, respectively. In the election years 2006 and 2007, it increased by 11% and 12%, respectively. They were choices to recklessly increase spending. That is what Deputy Martin delivered and those budgets were built on sand. A couple of years later we had to cut spending by €20 billion and we were making decisions on where to find €7 billion to cut out of a budget. Thankfully, yesterday and today we are increasing expenditure by an extra €4 billion or €5 billion. That is a question of choices and delivery. Deputy Martin is not credible when he asks what we will deliver. We will move on to what we will deliver because this budget is for the future. I know that if we stick to these kinds of budget choices and long-term decision making, while also dealing with today's issues, we will not see people queuing up again to get on to planes or boats to head off somewhere else. They can plan for their future in this country. That is our job.

I acknowledge that extra employment, returning emigrants and other pressures have contributed to difficulties in providing services. The Government has no problem acknowledging that there are many difficulties in health and housing and that we are still playing catch-up on some education supports and across the board but we are honest about that. It is not spin when we are straight up and factual. It is wrong to argue this is just about spin. We come in here month after month, produce the figures and tell it as it is when it comes to housing, health or anything else. We do not try to hide. We are straight up about it and about how we will fix and solve our problems. We have put a plan in place.

People also have to judge choices. Sinn Féin gets to make choices. Its choice is not to make any decisions. It chooses not to go into government in the South or the North.

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