Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the budget. Like most Deputies, I welcome the increases for carers and our elderly. Childcare supports and the €2,000 increase in the threshold before entering the higher tax bracket are also welcome. Nobody will be against these changes. The only problem is that today is a day when the Government has a lot of money. We did not have a fraction of it in 2013, 2014 or 2015. When you spend money, you need to spend it wisely. All the things I have mentioned needed money. I have gone through some of the budget measures. We are trying to go through all of the figures at the moment. I hope there are increased budgets for disabilities, children with autism and mental health because we are seeing major problems in those areas around the country and we need to help those people in society.

On the other side of this budget, we need infrastructure. I am talking about roads, rail and Irish Water, which I see has got €1 billion. I believe that is for day-to-day running. For the number of houses we are talking about building, €1 billion is like peanuts to a monkey. If we are talking about building that number of houses, that sum will not cover the sewerage and water infrastructure, roads and so on that we will need to put in. That is right around the country because there are a lot of areas where the sewerage system needs upgrading. I heard someone on the radio today asking how we will spend all of this money we have. The fact is, over the past six months, 350 workers have been let go by two of the companies that do sewers and water for Irish Water because they had no money to spend. That is it. There are no ifs or buts about it. All those people were let go six months ago because the budgets were gone. We can put all the money we want towards housing but, at the end of the day, if you do not have that beginning in place, you are not going to get it done.

What are the parts of the budget where I see a vision? We need a vision of where we are going. We need to build a vision for the youth of this country. It has been said on numerous occasions that there are 100,000 fewer youngsters under 40 who own houses now than there were ten or 15 years ago. That is a frightening statistic because they cannot afford it. We can have all the money in the world but it is like the HSE. We could throw all the money in the world into the HSE but if we do not have good managers to manage things and if we do not get value for money, we are wasting it. It is like throwing it into a bonfire on 23 June.

While it was before the Minister of State's time, we have seen the likes of the modular homes. Modular homes are costing €445,000. Let us call it what it is; it is a half a house. It is 600 sq. ft. Houses in Dublin are smaller than those down the country. They are between 1,050 sq. ft and 1,200 sq. ft. We think they are dear and, by God, they are but around €600,000 will buy you one. However, if two modular houses have to be joined together, which are a half a house each, to make what we have in Dublin, we are at nearly €900,000 and may as well give up on it because it is like throwing money into a bonfire. It is absolutely disgusting to see that happening in Ireland. I recall bringing a company out to Coolock to meet the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. This company was able to bring units from Germany and to supply them for between €70,000 and €80,000. Let no one tell me the ground works will not be done on that. It should be borne in mind that the sites are being supplied by councils around the country. It would be better to build a proper house than to go on with this craic. Someone has to call a stop to this type of waste. We should be getting three units for that €445,000 rather than one. We cannot keep going down that road. It is like winning the lotto, losing your head and going off. People have won the lotto and then run out of money. That is the problem. We are doing the same thing.

There is no value for money and no accountability, no more than with that hospital down the road. Everyone can give out about it but the bottom line is that we have given a contract and it is a licence to print money for the contractor. We can give out about it and do whatever else we want but that is it. We will hear it said that this, that and the other is to be done but we cannot introduce deviations. If you offer someone something, you should draw it up right and say this is what we want and that is it. Otherwise, you can offer a design and build contract and that is it. You meet the fixed price or it is a case of "Goodbye, you are gone".

The other part of this budget relates to the agricultural sector. On a day when we had billions of euro to throw around the place, I looked at the agricultural estimates. There is approximately €100 million in measures but some of them are regurgitated. There is a bit for sheep, a bit for the forgotten farmer and a bit for the calf welfare scheme but it is small money at €5 million, €10 million or €8 million. I saw everyone below at the ploughing a few weeks ago. Politicians that would be seen on TikTok were putting their arms around the farmers. They were the greatest thing since the sliced pan when these politicians could see 200,000 of them when an election was coming up. The farmers got their answer today, however. They got a kick in the ass from this Government. Today's budget does not respect farmers. Wages in the Department are up 10%, which is something like €30 million. There are also running costs and all of that. That is fine. I do not have a problem with it but, at the end of the day, when we see the money that is being kicked around today, we have to think about the farming sector. Nothing has been done for the suckler herd, which has fallen by 40,000 cows. Damn all has been done for the sheep sector, which is down 6%. Do we have any vision for young farmers in this country? Does the Government know what we will do for them? We will give them a few small bits but we will raise the carbon tax to make sure that, when they go out with the tractor, where there is no electric one, they will get screwed a bit more. That is not the way to treat the agricultural sector.

There was talk about this five-year taxation thing in the agricultural sector. I agree with it but what do we see today? We are going to set up a crowd to look at this for the budget in 2025. Do you know what? Is there to be an election before then? It all depends. That may go out the window depending on the programme for government.

I welcome the measure on land rezoning. I agree with it. People do not get butter on both sides of their bread, to be very blunt about it. I agree with that. Farmers who want to farm should be left farming. I agree with that 100%.

It is a very disappointing day when we see that something like 5.5 million farmers have left the sector in Europe in 15 years. Today, we had an opportunity to give a bit of light to youngsters in farming, to try to get them into it, to make the sector more productive and to give an incentive to older farmers to retire. Do we want a farmer to just be going from the farm to the church? That is what we are looking at because the Government wants to keep them working like hell all their lives. People can retire from every other job but, unfortunately, no retirement scheme has been brought in for this sector. It is a disappointing day for the whole agricultural sector. I know there is a bit for the grain men but look at the price of grain today. Everyone is talking about how we are importing stuff. If we do not want to import it, let us get our own to grow it. Let us give the people growing grain right around the country the incentive to grow it. That is how to do it.

I will be talking about this more over the next few days, but I wish to let Deputy Joan Collins talk now.

See this speech in context