Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputies Boyd Barrett and Barry. As we explained and outlined clearly yesterday, this is a budget for banks, landlords and developers. It is not an exaggeration to say there is less than nothing in it for renters, workers, pensioners, carers and the unemployed, all of whom will be worse off in real terms this time next year because what is being given is less than the rate of inflation. I gave a general speech yesterday and today I will go into detail on a couple of aspects of this budget because, when you delve into the budget, you see just how much that is the case.

I will start with the issue of the fuel allowance. The Minister and the Government made much of giving an extra €5, an amount that is not enough to cover the extra cost of fuel. You can do the maths and it is approximately a third of what is necessary in the context of fuel costs going up by €500. The Minister said:

To directly address this, I am increasing the weekly rate of the fuel allowance by €5. This increase will apply from midnight tonight.

He went on to say: "I am also increasing to €120 the...[amount] of means allowed above the maximum...State pension [contributory] rate for the fuel allowance". What he did not say was when it will be introduced. People were clearly meant to be left with the impression that, just like the rate, the means test is also increasing immediately.

I have been dealing with a guy, who is a pensioner, as is his wife. That is the income they have, along with a small amount of extra income, and between them they are €5 over the current means test. When he heard the news that it had been increased by €20, he thought, great, they would be able to afford fuel this winter. What did I hear from the Department of Social Protection today? The new means test will not apply until 6 January next year. It is cruel, mean and downright scabby to not just say we will allow people to pay for their fuel from now and to say that pensioner has to wait until January before he can get the fuel allowance. What is he and other people in his position meant to do? How are they meant to pay for their fuel this winter? Why are they expected to wait until January? I urge the Government, even at this late stage, to change that and say that even this limited change in allowance, which still excludes those on illness benefit and the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, will be brought in immediately.

My second point is on the Minister, Deputy Ryan, who looked very pleased with himself yesterday and today with his claims that green fingerprints are on the budget. The Minister was actually caught red-handed proposing a dramatic 18% cut in the public service obligation, PSO, subsidy for public transport. Last year, the Government gave €659 million in PSO payments to CIÉ etc. Next year, the Minister will give only €539 million, a massive €120 million cut in funding for public transport. A so-called green Minister is taking money away from public transport. On top of that cut to current spending on public transport is what certainly looks like from the budget book a massive cut in capital investment and massive cuts to sustainable mobility, carbon reduction and public transport, amounting to an incredible €1.69 billion less compared with last year. How on earth has a Green Party Minister for Transport signed off on such swingeing cuts?

I will deal with the issue of the tax credit for the gaming industry, which is a growing industry in Ireland. There was no mention of this by the Minister, but it is an industry where working conditions are very poor. There is huge pressure on people to work very long hours, particularly at crunch times, only 15% get paid for overtime and 15% are on less than a living wage. The vast majority do not get any pension contribution from their employer. The Minister says, and it is in the budget book, that the tax credit will be conditional on the industry providing quality employment, as with the film industry. This cannot be the same tick-box exercise whereby the industry says it will abide by the laws on employment and then gets the tax credits. At the very minimum, to be able to avail of credits, there needs to be a commitment to abide by all the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, codes of practice, to pay, at least, the living wage, and to guarantee staff's rights to disconnect, to paid overtime and to proper pension provision.

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