Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on budget 2023. I will focus my comments on the transport and climate budgets. At a time when we need a transformation in transport to make it safer, more accessible and more affordable, budget 2023 fell far short. Despite a concerning level of antisocial behaviour on public transport, there was no funding for a public transport policing unit. While the 20% fare reduction was extended to the end of 2023, which is welcome, Sinn Féin would have made it permanent. It also was not expanded to commercial bus operators as it should have been. These services are particularly important outside Dublin. In the last two weeks alone, two commercial bus operators have ceased trading.

A company in my constituency, Ashbourne Connect, is scaling back services due to a lack of Government support.

Despite the lack of public transport in rural Ireland, there is no plan to accelerate the roll-out of the Connecting Ireland mobility plan. Sinn Féin allocated €25 million to deliver this plan in double-quick time in our alternative budget. Similarly, in terms of access, and despite parliamentary party motions from senior Ministers, the short hop zones were not extended to more rail stations either. This is badly needed in my constituency for stations such as Gormanston, Laytown and Drogheda and elsewhere such as Kildare. Sinn Féin’s alternative budget allocated funding to kick-start the Navan rail line and the western rail corridor projects but again this was absent from the Government’s announcements yesterday. We also need to see increased investment in the public transport accessibility retrofit programme. Sinn Féin would fund that programme to the tune of €27.5 million next year. That is the scale of ambition that is needed. In active travel, we saw media leaks about reducing VAT on bicycles and e-bikes but this did not make the cut either. This proposal would cost in the region of €6 million and I hope that funding could be found in the expected underspend in the transport budget this year. It should be done and would make a significant difference. Elsewhere, we need to invest in ports for renewables and we need to support hauliers to keep their vehicles on the road and to move to cleaner vehicles.

On climate action, it is a case of good money after bad as the Government continues to pursue its failed and punitive policy. As usual, we have smoke and mirrors when it comes to figures. The budget document states that there is a 35% reduction in funding but the press release states it is a 34% increase. That spin fools no one. On climate funding, the Taoiseach said earlier that “Every cent raised by the carbon tax is going directly” to climate action. That spin fools even less. We know that none of it is ring-fenced. That argument was blown out of the water when millions of euro were siphoned off to buy diesel generators earlier this year and we know that €88 out of every €100 raised in carbon tax goes to the general Exchequer and has nothing to do with climate. It is time to get honest with people.

There are progressive and fair ways to do climate action and that is what is meant by a just transition. Sinn Féin’s alternative budget set out a clear plan to overhaul the Government’s unfair and failing retrofit plan, for example. This includes targeted supports to those based on need not ability to pay, a dedicated scheme for those dependent on solid fuel and fast-track roll-out of cavity wall and attic insulation for this winter. The Government ignores our appeals. We set out funding to address the identified barriers in realising the potential of our renewables resources and in resourcing our planning system, agencies and notifiable bodies. We also set out funding to increase investment in solar photovoltaic, PV, panels for households, businesses and schools.

Importantly, we would tax those who pollute the most. We would introduce a pollution tax on private jet departures and empower communities to climate action through sustainable energy communities, the creation of a local energy action fund and local renewable energy projects. We would make schools catalysts for climate action and would create a fund for new community woodland parks. The Government needs to change tack but there is no evidence from budget 2023 that it will.

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