Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Wehave never before spent as much on health.

Deputy Quinlivan referred to child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, and the issues with CAMHS are nationwide. The issue is not having the right, qualified people working in the sector. That is the main issue with CAMHS. It is not about money. I can only speak about Wexford, the area that I know best. We have money and positions that are funded and available in CAMHS but we cannot get the appropriate people and the correct staff. Those are facts.

Responsible Governments must address a multitude of challenges. Sinn Féin would not know anything about responsible government. It is out of it in Northern Ireland, does not even go to Westminster and chooses not to participate here.

A Government cannot focus all its resources on one challenge as this will only exacerbate the other challenges. The Government is addressing the shortage of housing with the creation of the Land Development Agency, the establishment of Home Building Finance Ireland and the refocused Ireland Strategic Investment Fund. These steps will help to deliver new homes on the scale now needed, and alleviate price pressures in housing. In the third quarter of 2018, we saw new house completions increase by 33% and granted planning permissions increase by 62% year-on-year.

Deputies Michael McGrath and Fleming raised concerns as to the €8 billion cap. This cap reflects the advice of experts who have offered constructive views and is particularly informed by our high debt levels. It is not feasible to continue incurring interest and carrying costs while holding a sizeable rainy day fund.

As raised by other Deputies, the Government must assess the range of competing priorities of the requirements for capital investment in housing and health, the need to make our public finances stable and sustainable and the need to manage the significant debt burden we are still carrying as a result of the previous crisis. I will leave predictions of what will trigger a future economic shock to others but it is certain that there are external risks and challenges out there, of which Brexit is only one. Some of these risks are known and are being planned for. There are other risks that we do not know about and for which we are not planning. They are the ones that come from left field and surprise everybody.

We are only too well aware of the impact of a severe economic shock on the citizens of our country. While we have made huge progress, the effects of the most recent economic and financial crisis have long lived with us and are still being felt by too many people today.

I am confident that we are in a far better position to weather the storm when a future crisis hits. Setting reserves aside now, under this Bill, is important.

I wish to touch on the issues that were raised as best I can, although I am not sure I will deal with all of them. Spending on our health service is already at record levels. In 2017, OECD data placed Ireland fifth in spend per capitaamong the EU 27. The additional expenditure in 2018 alone is around €1.2 billion and, as I said earlier, there is an expenditure of €17 billion for health in 2019. There is simply no question whatsoever that health funding will suffer as a result of the establishment of this rainy day fund.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act imposes a duty on the Government to comply with fiscal rules. The national surplus does not amend or change this obligation. In setting out the circumstances for drawing down funds from the rainy day fund which will be formally known as the National Surplus (Exceptional Contingencies) Reserve Fund, Government has been careful to make a clear link with the existence of exceptional circumstances within the meaning of the stability and growth pact.

We cannot do it all again. Too many Deputies on the other side of the House, and not just those from Sinn Féin, think that we should spend money on this, that and the other. I did not have a method of calculating exactly how much money could or should be spent but it has already probably run into billions. This is an irresponsible type of politics. If those Deputies switched from that side of the House to this one, and were suddenly in a position whereby they had to be responsible and prudent, they would find they could not do everything they have promised. That is irresponsible. That is the politics of populism that has the body politic in trouble worldwide.

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