Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Tugaim aitheantas don Rialtas faoin mbuiséad. B'fhéidir go bhfuil an buiséad forásach. Cinnte tá deacrachtaí ann ó thaobh na dúshláin, na deacrachtaí agus na fadhbanna atá i gceist sa tír seo faoi láthair maidir le costais.

Mar shampla, luaim fuinneamh agus na rudaí atá daoine ag fáil ó lá go lá. Cinnte tá an brú ar dhaoine ach rinne an Rialtas jab faoi na rudaí agus na dúshláin sin a bhaint amach agus níl achan freagra ag an Rialtas faoi sin. The Government does not have every answer for the real costs that are looming. As history has a tendency to repeat itself, we only have to look at the roaring twenties and what happened throughout the 1920s in terms of inflation. We have, therefore, a real job on our hands to try to tackle that. We cannot do it on our own as a country. The European Union is looking at that question and at what we can do as a collective and as a European Union in terms of energy costs and, obviously, if there can be a common understanding between countries in terms of their own taxation responsibilities. That must be looked at for the for the short to medium term.

I also want to mention the issue of mica. It is good to see the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, back in the Chamber again. I hope it is a lucky charm as we glide ever closer to a decision on this. I know the Minister for Housing, Local Government, Deputy O'Brien, and his officials are working hard to try to bring this to a conclusion. It is very important that this decisiveness is kept on the radar. The Taoiseach said the first part of the job is to get the budget over the line. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, also pointed out recently that the next big job to do after the budget is the mica issue. I know the Government is looking at it collectively. It is an issue that needs a common understanding within different Departments as well as an understanding of the havoc it has created and that will ensue if it is not done in a complete way.

I will use this opportunity to make this point. Nobody is more disappointed than me and my colleagues in the previous Government that the 2010 scheme did not work. It did not work because once people started delving into the detail, it became an economic impossibility for so many families. My message is that whatever the detail, there must be vigilance. There will be much detail, whether it is more than 1,000 local authority houses and the innumerable individual private houses that will be in question, not just in County Donegal but throughout the country, for pyrite and mica. Whatever the detail is, we must be vigilant and we have to have a mechanism in place. The campaign has done one thing in creating awareness and understanding. When the memo is brought to Cabinet and the detail is finalised at an official level, however, we must have eyes and ears on that. Having spoken to one of the members of the Mica Action Group, there is a concern that history will repeat itself with this scheme if there is a rollback through the detail. Whatever mechanism is being brought forward and whatever memo is being presented to Cabinet, the days and weeks after will be as important as those that lead up to that point to keep an eye on exactly what is being decided upon and what the Cabinet has decided at an all-government level, and to ensure the accessibility and affordability questions are ticked at all times. I am using this opportunity in the short time I have in this debate to do that.

In terms of the money allocated, €40 million with an extra €20 million for pyrite is a lot of money; €60 million in the budget is, therefore, a lot of money but it does not go anywhere near what will be needed. It was, therefore, good to hear the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy McGrath, reference the fact there are other contingencies within the budget in terms of spending.

Arís, gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle as an am seo. B'fhéidir go mbeidh cinneadh déanta gan mhoill ar son úinéirí na dtithe uilig atá ag titim, na fadhbanna atá ann leis na teaghlaigh, na girseacha, na gasúir, na seandaoine agus na seanmháithreacha agus na seanaithreacha agus na glúine uilig. Táim ag dúil go mór leis an gcinneadh sin. Gabhaim buíochas arís.

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