Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I very much welcome this Bill, particularly as we progress towards the end of what has, by all accounts, been an extraordinarily challenging year for people. When budget 2021 was published in October, I specifically addressed the social protection measures therein. They represent very progressive levels of support that have been made available for people who have not only had a very difficult 2020 but may continue to face hardship well into 2021. They will support people living alone, low-income families, one-parent families and carers in receipt of grant support. There is a clear and targeted effort in the Bill to address the everyday inequality affecting people throughout Ireland.

For example, a single parent with two children on an income of €23,500 can expect to take home an extra €4 per week or a total of €314 per annum. A retired single person in receipt of a State pension, considering the total changes in this Bill, will see an increase of €358 per year. A single person earning the minimum wage can expect to take home €116 more in 2021. These sums of money may seem small. As a former primary school teacher, I have seen at first hand the children and families who live on the very brink of poverty. For these families, that little extra at the end of the week can mean an awful lot.

I am acutely aware that there are some criticisms of the social protection measures in budget 2021, including the view that they do not go far enough to address some of the fundamental challenges our country faces. I accept and understand these viewpoints. As much as this budget achieves - we must acknowledge that it is the largest in the history of the State - we would all like to do more. Financial support is just one part of the picture. We need to acknowledge that every effort is needed to address the deeper and more systemic problems across Ireland, including child poverty, for example, homelessness and the steps we are taking in ensuring a living wage for all. This effort should be realised through forward-looking and coherent policies that are collectively designed and owned both by ourselves, as public representatives, but also by the public. In this regard, I very much welcome the setting up of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare. I also welcome the implied recognition that taxation and welfare are two sides of the same coin. We cannot have a useful debate about improving our services unless we also consider how we are going to fund them.

Future budgets should be about identifying how financial support can better contribute to people's overall quality of life. Last month, the Green Party launched its position paper on well-being indicators. I understand that there is much work happening at Government level on that matter as well. In doing so, we are formulating a new way of evaluating how our society is performing from a much broader perspective, incorporating key priorities that contribute to a better quality of life. The well-being indicators also seek to align both the design and implementation of budgetary spending with key social and environmental indicators. I very much hope that, within the lifetime of the Government, we will see not just regular budgets but also well-being budgets introduced as we have seen elsewhere in the world. This pandemic has taught us many things. One key learning we will have to take away from it is that quality of life and the well-being of our country goes well beyond just measures that we see within GDP.

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