Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil has facilitated this Government given the unprecedented threat of Brexit, deal or no-deal. As a party, Fianna Fáil has again put the country first and provided the political stability that it needs at this time. This is in sharp contrast to the political situation in some other EU countries, including the United Kingdom. There are many reasons this Government should be put out of office, including the ongoing crises in health and housing, but not just yet. I have no doubt the electorate will pass judgment on the Government's performance in the not too distant future.

I am disappointed that State pensioners did not get their usual €5 increase in this budget and that there was no increase in the rates to be paid to all social welfare recipients. Many State pensioners are unhappy about this. In its post-budget analysis, ALONE described this as hugely frustrating. The increasing cost of living is a big issue. Many older people face financial hardship, which is often hidden. I suspect the Government will hear more about this in the coming months.

There are a number of threats to the economy at this time and there are predictions of a decline in economic growth. These threats include Brexit and the global trade wars. In addition, Germany is on the brink of recession. We have a high dependence on corporation tax receipts and it seems there are more difficult times ahead for everyone.

Fianna Fáil had some input into this budget. Its emphasis on improved public services rather than tax cuts has been taken on board. We are pleased that some progress has been made in a few important areas. An additional 700 gardaí will be recruited, thus meeting the demand for a more visible Garda presence in our communities; an additional €100 million has been provided for the National Treatment Purchase Fund, which should help to reduce hospital waiting lists; the help-to-buy scheme has been extended; and funding for respite care and residential placements has been increased.

I would like to address some of the issues in the budget of particular concern to my constituents. It is clear that obligations arising from the Disability Act 2005 in respect of children with disabilities are not being met. There are lengthy waiting lists in north Dublin for primary care services and therapies provided under the assessment of need and early intervention team provisions. This is unacceptable and causes untold stress for these children and their parents. It is not right that there are many children with autism or special needs without appropriate school places in either a special school or special class. In some cases, reduced timetables are imposed. I have previously called for HSE staffing levels in the appropriate therapy disciplines to be increased to tackle the waiting lists in Dublin north city and county. I have also outlined the need for a five year projection of special needs education in each school catchment area to be undertaken without delay to ensure that the necessary school places are provided in a timely manner. The recruitment of additional therapists to allow for more assessments for children with special needs and for therapy interventions is provided for in this budget. However, we require more detail, including how many therapists will be recruited in 2020. It is obvious that the HSE has an unofficial moratorium in place on the recruitment of new therapists. I welcome the 400 additional teaching posts to support those with special educational needs. However, we need to be assured that all these measures are not just to meet increasing demographics and that they will result in a real improvement in these public services.

The provision of 1 million additional home help hours is also welcome but it is not enough. The lack of home care packages and the limited number of hours in these packages is a real problem. In my constituency, patients in acute hospitals such as Beaumont and the Mater very often cannot be discharged owing to a failure to sanction home care packages. This causes a great deal of stress for patients and their families.

It is clear that this service is not able to keep up with the demand and much more needs to be done in this area.

I welcome the package on climate change, including carbon taxes. I fully support the measures in the report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Action. Revenues from carbon taxes must be ring-fenced for specific environmental measures, in particular vulnerable people at risk of fuel poverty must be protected. I note that the recent Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, analysis of the budget suggests that lower-income groups will be disproportionately hit by the rise in carbon tax. While the fuel allowance was increased, fewer than half of the poorest households get this fuel allowance. More needs to be done with these ring-fenced revenues to protect those at risk of fuel poverty.

From a constituency point of view, I am concerned at the lack of capacity on the DART and the need for new carriages. The budget provisions for the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport are wholly inadequate. There is a significant demand for increased capacity on the DART. Commuters from my constituency trying to get into the city during the morning peak in particular are crowded into the carriages. Much more investment is needed in that area.

Where is the long-promised emergency department and cystic fibrosis unit at Beaumont Hospital? These projects are in the programme for Government, but it is taking a long time for them to move through the system stage by stage. The Government has been in office for four years and these projects are not being given the priority they need. Progress is very slow and it seems that they will not be constructed any time soon.

There is a real problem with the Department of Health. Obviously, there will be another Supplementary Estimate for that Department. It is clear that our health services are in crisis. Many announcements have been made in the budget and outside the budget, but there is very little delivery in respect of these announcements. The financing of many of the projects announced seems to be loaded into future years. This is not just in the Department of Health, but across many Departments. The budget for the Department of Health is €17.4 billion. We have a real issue with changing demographics. The HSE seems to be in crisis and some serious problems need to be addressed.

Over the summer, constituents told me they had been approved for the fair deal nursing home scheme, but the funding was not available. I believe funding is being allocated on a staggered basis, which is not good enough. This is a major issue and it causes considerable distress for older people and their families. It is a big decision for a family to put a loved one in a nursing home. Having gone through the whole process and having been accepted for the fair deal nursing home support scheme, the money is not available or there are significant delays in paying it out. That needs to be looked at carefully.

The ESRI assessment of the budget concluded that most households are facing a real tax increase due to the decision to freeze tax bands and tax credits. That will not be lost on the public in due course. If the Government does not adjust the tax bands and tax credits, people will end up paying more tax. The ERSI report was very negative. It basically described the budget as regressive.

Those are my thoughts on the budget. While progress was made in some areas, as the saying goes, there is a lot more that needs to be done. I will conclude by reiterating one of my initial points. State pensioners have come to expect the traditional €5 increase and they are very cross that they did not get it this year. They are the silent majority and I think we will hear more about that in the months to come.

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