Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister, Deputy Zappone, mentioned that she is a progressive Independent and underlined "progressive" a number of times in her speech. In the previous four budgets, through tax and USC, the Government has cut incomes in the State by €2.3 billion. That might be okay in happy days when there are no extreme difficulties affecting the State but the Minister and her colleagues preside over a Government which allows for vulture funds to pay a tax rate of 2.5%, they allow for banks, which are making billions of euro of profit in this country, pay no tax for 20 years, and 80 persons who have a net worth value of over €50 million in this State pay a tax rate at the same level as somebody on the average industrial wage. That is not progressiveness by any definition whatsoever. Hundreds of millions of euro have been foregone by the Government.

This year, the Government had €1.5 billion to focus on what it might think of as progressive objectives. In the middle of the worst housing crisis in the history of the State, only €80 million of additional funding out of €1.5 billion was focused on the building of housing. When it came to the private landlords, it was a little different. There was an increase of €121 million in additional HAP payments and that will be swallowed up by landlords with increased rents where there are no effective price controls. In addition, there was a landlord bonus of €4 million in tax breaks given.

In these progressive times there are more workers but 100,000 of those workers are living in poverty at present. International comparisons show that one in four Irish workers now lives below the poverty line. Also in these progressive times, one in five of the population of the State is on hospital waiting lists. I would say, rather than being progressive, this Government is one of the most divisive Governments in the history of the State.

I noted during the budget debate there was little talk of the national debt. The interest we pay on the national debt is the fourth largest spending category of the Government, behind social protection, health and education. There is nothing progressive about that either.

Arts funding was mentioned by the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Madigan, a few minutes ago. According to recent CSO data, artists are now earning 3.5% less than they did in 2013 in the pit of the crisis. They are getting breadcrumbs in funding from this Government.

Ní mór don Rialtas a adhmháil go bhfuil an dochar déanta aige ó thaobh na Gaeilge de freisin. Tháinig titim de 11% ar líon na gcainteoirí laethúla Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht de réir an daonáirimh is deireanaí. Níl ach 500 páistí idir trí bliana d'aois agus ceithre bliana d'aois sa Ghaeltacht a labhraíonn Gaeilge go laethúíl lasmuigh den chóras oideachais. Is uimhir uafásach é sin. Tá an Ghaeltacht iomlán ag crochadh ar an méid chomh beag sin. Tá tromlach na réamhscoileanna sna ceantair Ghaeltachta ag feidhmiú trí Bhéarla.

The following will be of interest to the Minister, Deputy Zappone. A minority of children in the Gaeltacht have access to Irish language níonaraí. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs refuses to communicate with the Gaeltacht níonaraí that operate in the Irish language and with regard to the development of skills for those who work in that sector, none of the níoraraí function with Irish on itstheir curriculum. Currently, Irish is invisible in the early education curriculum, even in the Gaeltacht.

Tá an cás mar gheall ar infheistíocht dochreidte. Tá an méid airgid laghdaithe faoina leath an bhliain seo ó 2008. Tá an méid atá an tír ag caitheamh díreach mar an gcéanna agus a raibh sé in 2008 ach tá an méid atá á chaitheamh ar an nGaeilge laghdaithe faoina leath. Tá Foras na Gaeilge fós ag fáil titim airgeadais i mbliana. Tá eagraíochtaí leithéidí Chumann na bhFiann, Oireachtas na Gaeilge, Glór na nGael, Gael Linn, Gaeloideachas agus Conradh na Gaeilge go léir thíos mar gheall ar infheistíocht.

Sleepy Joe McHugh has done very little when it comes to the Irish language in this country. In committee a few weeks ago, I asked the Minister of State how many new Gaelscoileanna were developed in this State over the past while and Sleepy Joe McHugh shrugged his shoulders. The Minister of State does not even know how many new Gaelscoileanna are operating. He came in here last night without a shred of paper, without a single fact on Irish language investment. The Gaeltacht is hanging by a threat and the Government is cutting that threat by ignoring it.

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