Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this important legislation. Although I understand the constitutional requirement for this Bill, to provide legal authorisation for all of the expenditure that has occurred this year on the basis of the Estimates voted on by the Dáil and to provide a legal basis for spending to continue into next year in the period before the Dáil votes on the 2023 Estimates, I do not fully support the content of this legislation. There are many reasons for this, the main one being that I do not agree with certain spending detailed in this legislation as well as the lack of spending in some important areas.

I am concerned about the lack of capital funding, particularly in my constituency of Donegal. There are various projects we had hoped to see progressed in the county but, sadly, little has been happening. For example, I mention the Fintra bridge development in Killybegs, which will include a new bridge across the Fintra river, a pedestrian and cycle route and road realignment works. Although we are finally seeing some progress on this, the development has been a long time coming and is moving at snail’s pace. The real expenditure will only come in the next year or two and we will have to see whether that will be provided to make the developments happen. There are many areas in Killybegs that are in desperate need of funding and development, such as the community hospital. Killybegs is an example but this goes right throughout the county. I have spoken before about the hospital’s potential to do more to support the Killybegs community, as well as the surrounding communities, and how the lack of funding, resources and development have led to an underutilised hospital with limited services and staff available.

Killybegs and the surrounding areas are also experiencing a severe lack of gardaí and Garda vehicles. It is important that gardaí are around and available in our rural communities, and much of Donegal has been let down in this aspect. Quite often gardaí are not available in the south-west Donegal area until 7 p.m., and when they are on duty, there are only two gardaí covering a large area between Killybegs, Kilcar, Ardara and Glenties. There could be one garda on duty in Killybegs and one garda on duty in Glenties, with no squad car between the two of them so they basically cannot go anywhere, do anything or patrol. Chief Superintendent Terry McGinn recently outlined to the Donegal joint policing committee how a lack of vehicles is proving to be a major obstacle for gardaí in Donegal. She has made several applications to Garda Headquarters. However, she was told no cars would be purchased until the new year at the earliest. She said the lack of cars was "affecting the service", which is completely unacceptable.

The Donegal joint policing committee also recently heard of the removal of 16 gardaí from the Donegal divisional drugs unit, despite the fact that drug crime is on the increase in the county. The number of gardaí serving in the drugs unit dropped from 21 to five within a year and the unit has also been left without an unmarked car. They cannot get around either, so unless crime is happening in the barracks, it will not be detected anywhere. Superintendent McGinn has said that the lack of resources is making responding to emergency calls and carrying out drug operations difficult.

This Government has failed to deliver for the people of Donegal in areas such as these time and again. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae spoke about the local improvement scheme and this is a big problem in Donegal too as we have huge lists that will take donkey's years to be resolved and dealt with. They probably will not be dealt with but people still have to be let apply when it is known they will not get their roads improved or sorted out at all.

The recent reports of an underspend of nearly €500 million in the Government’s housing budget is shocking and completely unacceptable in the midst of a housing crisis. I have constituent after constituent coming to me with concerns regarding housing, including mica, the years-long waiting list for social housing, the lack of rental accommodation in Donegal, and the inability to buy a house. To hear that millions of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage's budget is not being spent to help these people in need is so frustrating to me. I would be grateful if the Minister could confirm to the House what he expects the underspend in housing to be this year.

I support this Bill on the basis it is necessary legislation to provide money and resources that are required to run our public services. However, I would again like to emphasise that I do not agree with the allocation of a lot of the spending detailed in this legislation and I completely condemn the underspending trend we have been seeing in recent years, especially in the area of housing. There is no excuse for it and it needs to end today.

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