Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy Danny Healy-Rae.

I objected to this arrangement when the Business Committee rang around today about it. It is a slipshod way of doing business. I do not deny the merits of the rainy day fund but comparing it with the resolution in 2020 for Covid is just another false omen and a fake issue. The money could certainly be invested in projects in rural Ireland, which are so badly needed. I would have no problem with that but the figures are large, at €2 billion this year and €4 billion next year.

We are debating the budget tonight, with limited time to do so. Why, therefore, do we have to try to fit in this financial resolution tonight? The Government has got used to railroading business through this House and that is very bad. We need to debate these issues. At first, there was to be no debate and now we are getting two minutes each, but it is a downright abuse of power to squeeze this into the budget debate when there were so many other resolutions we needed to debate. We did not have enough time to deal with the amendments to them and whatever else. We in the Rural Independent Group think the merits of the issue are fair enough but that dealing with it in this manner is atrocious and totally unacceptable.

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