Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In my time I hope to generally deal with three or four topics and then go to the issue of the Irish language. It takes a while, not just a few days, but a few weeks to analyse a budget. Notwithstanding the good points and the payments that are being made, I would like to give some of the reaction.

The Antipoverty Network in Ireland described the budget as a wasted opportunity. It said that by prioritising short-term one-off payments over adequate and sustainable permanent measures that would enable Ireland to meet its antipoverty targets, the budget is just another long list of missed opportunities.

Similarly, Social Justice Ireland said that rather than spending this year's surplus to support those who need it most, for whom it would have the greatest impact, the Government has chosen to channel money towards those better able to manage it.

I heard the word "progressive" used regarding the budget. I would call it a giveaway budget geared to elections. I agree with the views expressed by Social Justice Ireland. This is another regressive budget, despite Government claims that it is progressive. It is regressive because permanent changes are targeted at higher income households while the one-off measures are focused at lower incomes. I would really love time to develop this point because I believe that instead of going from budget to budget and once off payments, some of which are very welcome given the cost of living crisis and inflation, we must have a completely different model. Foolishly, I thought we were going to get that following the pandemic and the emergency climate declaration on biodiversity. However, we have not, and we are proceeding in the same piecemeal manner without an overall vision.

On a practical level let us take the disability payment. The Minister knows all the reports better than I do. We have quoted them here and the Government has utterly failed to bring in a disability payment, despite all the reports, including the INDECON report.

I welcome that there is a follow up on the promise to reduce childcare costs. However, it is being done within a market model, which is the same market model that has got us into trouble with nursing homes where the ratio is 80:20, which I know the Minister wants to change. However, it is the exact same model. With childcare, as with housing, we are all the time financing the market system that has utterly failed. If it had not failed we would not need to be channelling money into it. I would love to see, and would be delighted to support the Minister on, the 25% reduction as part of an overall plan set out and phased to introduce public childcare. That is what I would love to see. I absolutely despair when I see year after year more and more public money going to the private market so that profit can be made. That is not to say that private nursing homes do not provide a good service. Yes, some of them do and some of them do not. Equally, there are faults with the HSE. I am thinking of Mulranny and of a former TD who did extraordinary work in relation to the nursing home in Mulranny. I gather it is struggling. It is a not-for-profit nursing home. A not-for-profit nursing homes should not be struggling while the providers and the companies get bigger and bigger.

On balanced regional development, my colleagues quoted the regional assembly and how the north-west region has been degraded or demoted. In Galway, I want balanced regional development and I want to see the western rail corridor. Carraroe in the Gaeltacht has great potential for development, croílár na Gaeltachta, but raw sewage is going into the water. We have had plans for donkey's years. Galway County Council and then Irish Water had plans to build a new sewage treatment system, but it has gone nowhere because the site they insisted on staying on has planning permission for a heritage centre. We are back to square one with no sewage treatment.

Similarly, Galway city on the east side is not making provision for the extension of Galway which is one of the five cities to grow. There is no plan for the sewerage system there to be upgraded. While the term "balanced regional development" is lovely, it is not there on the ground.

Finally, ba mhaith liom díriú isteach ar chúrsaí Gaeilge mar tá níos lú ná dhá nóiméad fágtha agam. Bhreathnaigh mé ar an gcáipéis agus tá, is dócha, naoi nó deich n-abairt maidir leis an nGaeilge agus iad go léir i mBéarla. Is é sin an rud atá curtha in iúl. Faraor, níl an tAire eile ann agus ní raibh aon chóip den óráid a thug sí ar fáil.

B'fhéidir go bhfuil na sonraí ansin ach ón méid atá feicthe agam, tá sé thar a bheith deacair domsa easaontú leis na ceannteidil sna meáin Ghaeilge gur buiséad frithGhaeilge agus frithGhaeltachta é an buiséad seo. Tá sé thar a bheith deacair domsa easaontú leis sin. Níl puinn breise d’Údarás na Gaeltachta agus níl a fhios agam cé mhéad leathanach atá ansin ó Údarás na Gaeltachta ag cur in iúl cé mhéad foirgnimh agus cé mhéad talún atá acu ach níl siad in ann dul chun cinn a dhéanamh de bharr thaobh easpa acmhainní.

Maidir leis an rud atá ráite go leanfaidh muid ar aghaidh leis an maoiniú atá curtha ar fáil d'Údarás na Gaeltachta agus leis na scéimeanna tacaíochta, is é an t-aon rud breise atá i gceist - mar tá mé ag iarraidh an doiciméad a aistriú díreach anois – ná an tacaíocht freisin do na scéimeanna teanga. Níl aon aitheantas anseo, a bheag ná a mhór, go bhfuil géarchéim sochtheangeolaíoch ó thaobh na teanga de, níl aon tuiscint go bhfuil géarchéim ó thaobh cúrsaí tithíochta sna Gaeltachtaí, go bhfuil an daonra ag laghdú, nó níl tuiscint a bheag ná a mhór ar an bhfadhb maidir leis na coláistí samhraidh agus na mná tí ag éirí as an ngníomhaíocht sin gach uile mhí. Tá géarchéim ó thaobh na Gaeilge de agus ó thaobh inmharthanacht na Gaeilge de agus níl pioc nó aon rud le feiceáil sa bhuiséad seo go bhfuil tuiscint ag an Rialtas, nó b'fhéidir go bhfuil, ach go bhfuil easpa tola i gceist. Tá díomá mór ollmhór orm dá bharr. Gabhaim míle maith ag an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach mar tá mé imithe cúpla soicind thar mo chuid ama.

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