Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the additional €17.3 billion in expenditure that is part of this budget. The Acting Chairman, Deputy Ó Cuív, and I were in this Chamber ten years ago when very serious cuts were being made to expenditure. Unfortunately, those cuts had great consequences but they led us to our current position, allowing us to borrow the kind of money we now need to get through the challenges of Covid, Brexit, climate change and so forth. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been shown that systems can be changed overnight. Rules which we in this House and other public representatives were told could not be changed, were changed and changed very quickly. That spirit needs to continue. We need to see changes in practices and changes in infrastructure. We need to ensure that every cent of this budget delivers increased and better services for people and makes a difference to their lives.

I was struck by Deputy Conway-Walsh's statement to the effect that we need to get rid of the fighting within certain sectors. She is right. We need to put people at the front and centre of this budget.

In health, it is a question not only of Covid but also of Sláintecare. We need to see the principles of Sláintecare implemented and investment in our district hospitals. I want to see beds at the hospitals in Belmullet, Ballina and Swinford fully opened and those hospitals used as primary care centres to take the pressure off Mayo University Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospital. I want to see our primary care professionals, GPs, pharmacists and community-based services given the power and resources to do their work.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an airgead breise i gcomhair chúrsaí Gaeltachta agus an Ghaeilge. Déanfaidh sé difríocht ach tá i bhfad níos mó le déanamh do cheantair thuaithe. There is a lot more to be done in rural villages in towns. I welcome the increased funding for the town and village renewal scheme. Covid has shown that there is a desire for leisure activities, cycleways, walkways and public spaces. We need to continue to provide these in a way that provides local employment.

On infrastructure, this budget, alongside the national recovery plan and the forthcoming review of the national development plan, is essential. While I note the investment in the State airports which was announced, airports such as Ireland West Airport Knock need further investment. They are busier than some of the State airports and have not seen the same kind of investment as they have. If we are serious about regional development, we must develop and support Ireland West Airport Knock, the western rail corridor, the N26 and the Atlantic economic corridor as key economic bridges not only to get us through the crises of Covid and Brexit, but to create a foundation for a sustainable future.

Other speakers mentioned broadband. The pandemic has demonstrated the demand for working from home and how successful it can be. Let us invest in regional structures to allow people to work from home.

We have learned a lot over the last eight months. There is a long way to go in this pandemic. We think of all those who have lost their lives and all of their families this evening. Let us not just learn the lessons but change our way of doing things.

See this speech in context