Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The rainy day fund, known as the national surplus exceptional contingencies reserve fund, is supposed to be an economic buffer. There is currently no money in the country's rainy day fund because it was raided last year due to pandemic expenses. Let us not forget, pensioners in this country did not receive one extra cent from this so-called rainy day fund.

There are far more needs now than there will be years down the line, for example, the fishing crisis. This Government gave away 25% of our pelagic quota on Christmas Eve last year. That was a real happy Christmas to every fisherman, fisherwoman and child in our country's coastal communities. They did not get a brown cent. Where was the rainy day fund for the fishermen at that time? They are since counting their severe losses.

Farmers are in desperate need and will have a very bleak-looking future if the Government continues in the way it is going at the moment. It kicked the can down the road on the issue of giving any funding to farmers in this year's budget. That is fine if people can afford to have the can kicked down the road but the farming sector, which got no funding, certainly cannot.

I cannot understand why we are talking about rainy day funds when urgent projects need funding in our country. I have continually pleaded with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach, when they have been before the House over the past number of months, for funds for roads in west Cork. They do not believe or understand that there is a need for that. There is nothing for bypasses in Innishannon and Bandon, the northern-southern relief road, Bantry, the N71 and the R586. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, was honest enough to state that it would possibly take eight to 13 years. There needs to be investment in transport in rural Ireland. There are now some talks about such investment, which is needed urgently.

The cost of energy is rising rapidly leaving every person, including the most vulnerable, yet again, in debt. Funding needs to be put aside and invested immediately in this as people are in fuel poverty.

There are no special needs assistants, SNAs, in our country. Last week, I asked the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohue, about that and he said that they would be available next year. That is no good for people who need SNAs in schools this year. There is no funding available for that. People in schools all over west Cork are telling me they are short of SNAs, whereas the capital seems to have no problem getting them. We also need funding for CoAction, which is closing its centre in west Cork this week because there is no pay parity. That is another project that needs funding immediately.

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