Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am supposed to be sharing time but we will see if the Deputy turns up.

Whether we like it or not, Brexit will affect everyone on this island of Ireland, everybody in the UK and everybody in Europe. This process has been going on for the past three years. It has been part of every conversation in every household in the country. Tuesday's budget was preparation for a no-deal Brexit but it was also preparation for the next general election. I agree that Brexit will pose a major risk to the economy in Ireland. It will also create a problem with employment.

I welcome the €1.2 billion response to Brexit. I commend the recruitment of 750 additional staff in key areas and the availability of €650 million to support the agriculture, enterprise and tourism sectors. However, I am disappointed with one aspect concerning the tourism sector. The Minister had an opportunity to reinstate the 9% VAT rate. When there was trouble in the tourism sector, the Government reduced the rate from 13.5% to 9% but with the uncertainty of Brexit and the possibility of a no-deal outcome, and with 275,000 employed in that sector and more than 10 million tourists coming here per year, it is an area that the Government has let down. We took our eye off that market. I appeal to the Minister of State to talk to the Minister for Finance to see if we can get the 9% rate reinstated.

I support the carbon tax on auto fuel, which is a step in the right direction in terms of climate change, but, again, the Government seems to be targeting the same people all the time.

The Government has targeted pensioners who were hoping to get a €5 increase in their pension benefit. It has also targeted childcare recipients who were also hopeful they would get an increase in benefit. It always seems to hit the wrong people.

I come from Dundalk, County Louth. If one drew a line from Omeath to Cullaville, there would be 50 Border crossings in what is a small area. We are very concerned about what will happen post Brexit. We welcome the €81 million the Government has given to recruit 700 new gardaí, but the new recruits will not be ready to be deployed for a while. The Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland stated the PSNI would not patrol the Border. The Garda Commissioner has stated he does not have enough resources to do so. While I welcome the €81 million increase in the budget of An Garda Síochána, there is a big hole in the resources needed to police the area stretching from Dundalk to County Donegal. It is important something be done quickly to address that issue.

Dundalk has done really well since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, but like ever other town in Ireland, it seeks more teachers, special needs assistants, houses, therapists and so on We have Louth County Hospital which is called the "Gen". It has been open since the 1950s, but its emergency department was closed suddenly in 2010. There are capacity pressures in hospitals, with many patients being treated on trolleys, but we have a fantastic hospital in Dundalk which is open 12 hours a day, seven days a week. It is time the Government considered restoring acute services in it. Since the Government took office, we have been promised a primary care unit and the provision of more therapists. We seem to have been promised a great deal. We have a hospital in Dundalk that is crying out to provide services and there is no reason it cannot be open 24 hours a day. The Government should seriously consider this.

Many constituents who come to my office raise serious issues about their children who may be autistic or have a disability and need assistance. In fairness, the Government has done a good enough job, especially in introducing an investment of €1.9 billion in special needs education in schools. I welcome the provision for the employment of an additional 400 special needs teachers and 1,000 special needs assistants. It will definitely help families. However, I hope it will not stop the building of new schools and the upgrading of existing schools as education is the way to forward. It is very important that children be properly educated.

The health budget of €17.4 billion, the largest we have ever had, is being increased by €1 billion. I hope the money will be spent in the right areas. We know about the trolley crisis, the waiting times for treatment, the shortage of occupational therapists, consultants and doctors. There is not a day that passes without a constituent coming into my office to complain about the health service. It is said we have one of the biggest health spends per head of population in the world, but there still seems to be a problem in looking after the health needs of the people. Therefore, we have a serious problem. Throwing more and more money at health services will not help to solve the problem. It is time we sat down with all of the professionals to sort out the problems which have been ongoing for far to long. There are solutions and it is must a matter of getting them right. The money is available to do so.

I was very disappointed by the overspend on the national children's hospital project. We are not talking about an overspend of hundreds of thousands of euro but billions of euro. A few good opportunities were presented, including the offering of a free site to build the hospital on the grounds of Connolly Hospital, but that offer was not taken up. There was no good reason not to take it up and that it was not does not make sense. Those involved in the health service are business people, but I do not think they understand what they are doing. A site for the hospital was offered just off the M50. There are 32 counties in Ireland. Having the national children's hospital located on a site just off the M50 would make much more sense. I have spoken to doctors and nurses who work in St. James’s Hospital and they have told me that they cannot park their cars anywhere in the vicinity of the hospital. They have to get a taxi or take the train to get to work. I cannot understand how the national children's hospital has ended up being located on the St. James’s Hospital campus, especially given the free offer of a site at Connolly Hospital. I ask that those in government talk to professional people to get some advice. I welcome the provision of the GP card for children aged under eight years and the medical card for those aged over 70, including couples and single people. That is good. However, it is important that we communicate with people. I ask the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, to engage with professionals who know how to run a business and do things right, even if it means bringing in professionals to give him advice. There is no point in throwing €17.4 million at the health service next year and then seeking a Supplementary Estimate, or saying this, that or the other. We have an opportunity to do something right in the sector.

The Government has spent €6.6 billion during the past four years in dealing with the housing issue. Budget 2019 was all based on addressing it, but it is the worse it has ever been. More than 10,000 people are homeless, of whom 4,000 are children. The Government has promised that there will be 11,000 new homes in 2020 and 12,000 in 2021. Where did the €6.6 billion go? In the budget announced on Tuesday there was a promise of a further €2.5 billion for housing, of which €1.5 billion would be for social housing. They are great figures, but no progress is being made. What annoys me is that the middle class are being caught. A professional couple, both of whom are working, would have to earn approximately €95,000 a year to buy a three-bedroom standard house in Dublin. What chance do they have with the way the Government is dealing with the issue? There is no way they can afford to buy a house. I know people who are caught in the middle. They are earning good money, €60,000 to €70,000 a year, but they are paying between €1,200 and €1,500 a month in rent. They cannot get a mortgage and the reason they cannot is they have been told that they cannot afford it. If one gets a mortgage from a bank or a building society for €300,000 or €400,000, one pays less per month in mortgage repayments than in rent. Therefore, it does not make sense to rent. The Government will have to help the people concerned.

Many of the people to whom I refer are not entitled to be placed on a council housing waiting list. The reason for this is the Government or whatever is provided for in legislation specifies that one must earn below €34,000 or €35,000 a year. The people concerned are caught in the middle with two, three or four children. It is time the Government spoke to the local authorities to give them an opportunity. As the Taoiseach said, they are the people who get up early in the morning to go to work. They are the people who are entitled to receive something. They are not looking for handouts and want to work. What is happening makes no sense.

More than €21 billion is being spent on social welfare payments. In 2011 16% of the population were unemployed. In fairness, the percentage unemployed has fallen to 5.3%, but we need to keep the figure at that percentage. We, therefore, need to encourage people to work. The Government needs to help the working person by helping him or her to find a house.

The Government seems to target the wrong people. I refer to elderly people. A recipient of the contributory State pension in 2019 receives €248.30 per week. He or she will receive the same amount in 2020. A recipient of non-contributory pension in 2019 receives €237 per week. He or she will receive the same amount in 2020. A recipient of the farm assist payment receives €203 per week in 2019. He or she will receive the same amount in 2020. In fairness, a recipient of the living alone allowance will receive a €5 increase in 2020. Carers do a fantastic job, be it in looking after an elderly person or a person with disabilities. They save the State a fortune. They receive a benefit payment of €220 per week in 2019. They will receive the same amount in 2020. Recipients of disability benefit receive €234 in 2019. They will receive the same amount in 2020. Recipients of jobseeker's benefit and maternity benefit will receive the same payment in 2020 as they do in 2019. The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance for each qualified child between the ages of four and 11 years will be €150. For those who cannot afford to send their children to school, the Government is not giving them anything. The allowance for children over the age of 12 years is €275 in 2019. The amount will be the same in 2020.

This country has done a fantastic job in recent years and every household has been affected by what has happened. However, Brexit has taken over. In fairness, there has been a cross-party effort and we have to thank Fianna Fáil, in particular Deputy Micheál Martin, and others for working together. I hope today's meeting of the Taoiseach with the UK Prime Minister goes well. If they look for an extension, they should be given an extension. However, it is going to have to come to a halt at some stage.

If things go well with Brexit, it is very important that we have a supplementary budget in the new year to give the people what they are entitled to. We did not do too much with regard to climate change and that is something we will have to do as we go forward. We are all working together and we all want Ireland to prosper. It is very important that we all go the same way.

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