Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I have spoken about the budget already on a number of occasions. It is very clear the budget works very well for the wealthy in this country and particularly for the big landlords, the corporations who will avail of the research and development tax credit, and the well paid, but it does not work for ordinary people.

Today I will focus on a few different groups of ordinary people and how they are failed, the first group being people with disabilities. It is scandalous that the Government has a record budget surplus yet peanuts are given for disability services. The expenditure document on the budget says €64 million is secured for investment in disability services to deliver more than 90 additional residential places. That sounds great to get 90 additional places, but it does not mention that the capacity review of disability services highlighted unmet need for residential support of up to 2,300 places.

Yet, we are supposed to celebrate 90 additional residential places. There are huge waiting lists and a huge unmet need. The very minimum the National Federation of Voluntary Service Providers asked for in this budget was 315 places. It said that those places were immediately required to meet emergency need. We do not have enough extra places to meet emergency need.

The other issue that remains unresolved with regard to the sustainability of disability services is this model of an effective hands-off approach in terms of section 39 and other types of organisations where workers do not get pay parity. They are effectively providing a public service but they are not given pay parity and the consequence is real crises in recruitment and retention.

Carers are another group failed by this budget. Yes, there was an increase in the income disregard. That is welcome but there was a very small increase in the rate. They get the €12 everybody else gets, which is not enough to keep up with inflation, as opposed to the €325 that Family Carers Ireland pushed for. The point has been made, and cannot be made enough, that the unpaid work of carers in this country saves the State €20 billion a year. They are the backbone upon which huge numbers of people are taken care of and they are treated terribly by the State. I will quote from a constituent who is a carer for her 15-year-old daughter:

I don’t need to explain the Money I am saving this government but they know this and know we love our children more than ourselves and is using this to take advantage of not giving us a basic independent financial support. I’m one [of] thousands of carers in Ireland and my life is completely stopped as I can never work because of all my child’s needs, illnesses, care. I have to be on call 24/7 and can barely manage the work/care that I have to do on a daily basis.

What this budget should have done, and what the People Before Profit budget proposed, was abolition of the means test for carers and agreement to that minimum payment of at least €325. Two thirds of family carers are experiencing financial distress and the impact of the budget, combined with inflation, means that, unfortunately, there will be no reduction in that.

Finally, I want to speak about the crisis facing the Gaeltacht and the Irish language. We need a true revival of the Irish language. That cannot be done without its native speakers and significant support for the dedicated activists and speakers who help to keep the language alive. Government spending on Irish and the Gaeltacht accounts for just 0.17% of spending this year, which is the same as last year. The planned increased in the budget of €9 million only accounts for less than a quarter of the investment asked for in An Plean Fáis, a five-year investment plan endorsed by 138 different groups. I met with Conradh na Gaeilge before the budget to go through An Plean Fáis and how to properly resource the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. Some of the issues it raised, which I support, include the need for an additional €14.5 million for Údarás na Gaeltachta and Roinn na Gaeltachta, for investment and supports in the Gaeltacht, creating new jobs, upgrading and refurbishing buildings, employing a youth officer in all language planning areas in the Gaeltacht, ensuring fair wages for the officers and for an additional officer in all the Gaeltacht service towns. It would also include vital supports for raising families with Irish, summer colleges and the comharchumainn in the Gaeltacht. There should also be an additional €12 million for Foras na Gaeilge and Roinn na Gaeltachta for investment and supports outside the Gaeltacht. Did the Ministers and Government meet with Conradh na Gaeilge to discuss An Plean Fáis in preparation for the budget? Will they meet it now, given that the plan is supported by 138 groups? We need to ensure proper support; otherwise, we are in danger of losing our native language.

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