Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill and its many measures. The Finance Bill gives us an annual opportunity to reflect on the budget and the measures contained therein, but also on issues that we need to consider.

This is my first time to speak in the Chamber with the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, present in his new role.

I congratulate him on his position and wish him well. I listened intently to his passionate discussion on the issue of insurance. I know he will make a major impact on that area and I wish him well on that. There are many issues and challenges in that area. The credit unions are also under his remit. How the credit unions go forward, how they will trade and the many issues facing the credit union movement will have to be monitored. The credit union movement has been a bedrock for people in society, including the less-well-off, over the years and since the foundation of the movement by Nora Herlihy from Ballydesmond. We are all proud of that and of how she started the credit union movement. I wish the Minister of State well in his role. I know that he will bring his years of valuable experience in finance and from being in Leinster House to bear on the portfolio.

There are several things I wish to clarify or ensure are clarified in the Finance Bill. These include the new incentives for first-time buyers and those that were to come to a conclusion at the end of 2020 and are being rolled over. It was decided earlier in the year that the first-time buyer's grant would be rolled over to 2021. The Finance Bill has to be passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas and has to be signed into law before the Revenue systems are in place to ensure people can avail of it throughout 2021. It is important that clear guidance is given by the Minister or the Government representative in the wrap-up to the effect that this measure will be available throughout 2021 even if people have no portion of the mortgage drawn down in 2020. It is important to ensure that.

Several measures are rolled over in agriculture, including the consanguinity relief and other measures that continue the 1% allocation. These are important measures. When a farm or business is being transferred from one generation to another there is considerable activity prior to the budget. Will the stamp duty changes remain? Will the stamp duty changes be carried over for several years? Invariably, in the years I have been here, the changes have always been carried over. It is important to have clear guidance. Farm families are making decisions about transferring to the next generation. Clear guidance should be given to ensure these measures will be continued in future. All parties, but especially our party, are engaged in trying to ensure the viability of the family farm and that the family farm survives. It is the bedrock of the agriculture industry and the rural economy. It supports many jobs not only at the farm gate but throughout the agriculture and food industries. It also allows us to be absolutely confident that the food we are eating is produced to the highest level and to the proper regulations. It is important to do that.

There are challenges in the agriculture industry, in particular in respect of the beef industry. I note in the budget there is a pilot scheme to look at calf to beef and the beef coming off the dairy industry. We should look at that. I have reflected on the farm-to-fork projects of the European Commission and the recent document that came out from Teagasc on the challenges facing the industry, not only in biodiversity but in respect of antibiotics and antimicrobial traces as well. There are many issues in these areas. The farmer - the person producing the food - has been engaging singularly with the vast body of science that is developing to ensure we have a proper food industry. We need to encourage Teagasc and the private advisers who are doing such an excellent job in encouraging, advising and directing the primary practitioners in farming to work in a safe environmentally friendly manner.

There are several other issues. In the budget it was welcome that the disability sector got €100 million. There is not one person in this House or outside it who would not accept that the entire disability sector is in crisis. The challenges that have presented heretofore have been reflected on. Anyone listening to the Order of Business not only since this Dáil was formed but during the past 12 months will be aware of the issues of respite and the challenges in the disability sector. It is in poor shape. Many challenges face us in the industry.

I am delighted to be Chairman of the relevant committee and I will work hard with the committee members. We have had several meetings. I am positively enthused by the passion and commitment of the members of the committee. I believe we will be able to shine a light on the challenges. Moreover, I believe the additional €20 million announced last week for the disability sector is most welcome. We must accept that there are major challenges in the sector relating to work practices and we need to ensure the right outcomes. I have been saying this in the Chamber and elsewhere for some time that I believe that what has been happening in the disability sector will mean that a future Taoiseach will have to apologise for the way the sector has been treated.

I calmly listened to the radio on Saturday or Sunday morning. I do not get too involved in it but I was absolutely frustrated last Sunday morning when I heard Miriam O'Callaghan interviewing the former Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone. She talked about writing a book on her time in government. Was she elected to the Government to make things better for the people and children or was she elected to write a book? Over four years the services for children and people with disabilities went backwards and nothing was achieved. I was absolutely fuming at the radio when I was listening to it. Another book is coming out of it. We are here at this point. We are elected to do the best we can for the people we represent in the time we are in Leinster House or in any other elected position. It is sickening in the extreme to listen to people commentating and going on. They are there to make a difference but to my mind that particular Minister did nothing to advance the causes of children or people with disabilities or anything else under her remit. I have to say that.

I also want to bring up several issues that have been discussed. Primary medical certificates have been stopped completely since the court case earlier this year. That is completely unacceptable. Many people, including many public representatives across the floor of the House, are unable to get a decision on primary certificates. I want all the Ministers involved in this to bring clear guidance. It is in need of overhaul. This is not the first time I have said as much. It needs to be practical and tailored towards the needs of people. I call on the Government to look at this as quickly as possible to ensure we have the right outcomes.

Since the pandemic struck eight months ago we have seen the way life changed for people. People are working from home and things have changed far beyond what the political system could even possibly have contemplated in that period. It is time to revisit a serious decentralisation of Departments out of Dublin. Any such changes that were put in place in the past 20 or 25 years worked well. We all know that when we are interacting with Departments outside Dublin, they are excellent. I am not saying those in Dublin are not excellent, but it does work. It can work now more than ever. The Government needs to look at a vast programme of decentralisation to ensure vibrancy in rural communities. It is time that we looked at the post office network in terms of digital hubs and a new vibrancy in the rural towns and villages with all the Departments.

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