Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am not convinced by the consideration given to section 39 workers. I still have concerns. They do great work in our communities. I know the strike was averted last week but I hoped more meaningful efforts would be made in the budget. However, they were not. I register my concern on their behalf, particularly those working in Kerry, who provide excellent services and have done so over the years.

Unfortunately, missing from the budget are the changes necessary to support Ireland’s SME sector, which forms the backbone of all private sector jobs outside of the cities of Dublin and Cork. Our SMEs make up more than 99% of all firms that operate here. They are often the forgotten employers. As the Government's attention is captured by large multinationals, these SMEs face many challenges.

In County Kerry at the moment, we not only have high insurance and labour costs, but rates are going up. It is ironic the State and the Valuation Office think it is a good time to go around to small hairdressers and shops. In Kenmare, Killarney, Sneem and around the Ring of Kerry, every place is being affected by this increase in rates. Workshops were held recently throughout the county, which were meaningless because all the people were told was if they were not happy with the rate put on them, they could go away and appeal it. That is not very helpful. There are small pubs on their knees struggling and this is the death knell they definitely did not want. For our SMEs to survive and thrive, we need them to be supported.

There has been a 13% cut in funding available for road improvements and capital expenditure in 2024. There is €200 million cut from our roads budget for next year at a time when our roads are getting worse. The ongoing Green Party-backed reduction in funding for roads is deeply concerning. It is obvious we have a Minister for roads and transportation who hates roads and private transportation. It is ironic to think the man in charge of maintaining and improving our road network does not want to do that. All he wants to do is continue spending €1 million per day on walkways and cycleways because he thinks everyone in rural Ireland can cycle and walk to wherever they are going. In the real world, the Green Party, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will have to listen and realise that will not work.

The ongoing Green Party-backed reduction in funding for roads is especially concerning when many local authorities struggle to perform basic road repairs due to financial constraints. I highlight the 650 local improvement scheme roads in County Kerry which are waiting. People will die while they are waiting for their roads to be improved. There is nothing being done about that. The funding we are getting is woefully inadequate. Poor-quality roads pose a severe concern to our communities, directly impacting on economic growth and road safety in rural and regional areas. The only answer the Government gives to deaths on our roads is to reduce the speed limit. It could put people crawling and there would still be accidents on our roads.

The national planning framework is based on a projection of 660,000 additional jobs by 2040 compared with 2016 levels and net migration of about 65,000 people between 2016 and 2022. The biggest problem at the moment is keeping our young people here and stopping them going to Australia and having to leave this country. I want to see those young people, whether nurses, drivers or people in the building industry, working and living at home.

With regard to the tax changes made, it was pretty sneaky that on budget night the Government executed a counterproductive move by raising the carbon tax. That in effect put up everything in the shops. We are an island nation. Stuff does not fall out of the sky but has to be delivered by road. All that move has ensured is that the cost of living has gone up further.

Farmers were neglected but, despite the absence of certain farmer-related tax changes, the Bill includes positive measures for the agricultural sector. We in the Rural Independent Group support these measures as we called for them in our prebudget submissions. They include the extension of stamp duty relief until the end of 2028 and the prolongation of capital allowances accelerated for farm safety equipment until 2026.

I will speak on behalf of people involved in the fishing industry in County Kerry. Budget 2024 has slashed the fishing allocation in the budget by a staggering and despicable 47% for next year. It is horrific and unbelievable to think the Minister responsible for fisheries would drastically reduce the budget. Neither the Minister for public expenditure, the Taoiseach nor the Tánaiste mentioned fishing once.

Regarding housing, it is ironic they were supposed to do something to help people involved in letting; instead, they paid a pittance to it and did nothing to encourage them to stay in the market.

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