Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I begin by recognising the huge work done by the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers, and their teams over the last months in delivering budget 2025, the fifth and final budget of this Government. The delivery of this final budget gives us a moment to reflect. When the Green Party contested the election in 2020, we did so proposing a manifesto entitled Towards 2030: A decade of change. We went to the electorate with a commitment to act because of an unavoidable truth, namely, that we had just a decade to make the necessary changes to halt the warming of our planet and save our natural world. That manifesto sought to implement radical changes to restore the natural world and, at the same time, improve our daily quality of life. Through implementing the programme for Government over the past four years, many of those commitments are now a reality.

When we entered Government in 2020, we did so determined to get to work on those necessary changes. We are changing our economy, moving away from imported fossil fuels and embracing the use of new home-grown affordable wind and solar power. We are changing how we move around, investing in major public transport upgrades, making public transport more affordable and more available and putting buses and bikes on our city streets and public transport on our rural roads. We are changing our built environment, delivering huge investments in the retrofit of private homes and our public buildings. These changes are working. In July this year, the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed a reduction of 6.8% in our carbon emissions in 2023. Ireland has proved that we can break the link between economic growth and ever-rising emissions. This is a huge change, one that many said could not be achieved.

It is not just about making the necessary big changes, however. As I said, the Green Party has sought to do this in a way that is fair and improves everybody's quality of life. This twin delivery has been our guiding mission in government, in driving down the cost of childcare for the first time; increasing paid parents leave; passing the work-life balance Act; introducing a basic income for artists; delivering energy credits; cutting transport fares; giving people more options to cycle to work, college or school; delivering two new national parks; and making sure that every single budget we have passed in the lifetime of this Government has been progressive and each one has included targeted measures for the most vulnerable. I am pleased to say that budget 2025 continues this record of delivery by the Green Party in government. This is a budget that will make a real difference for families, children and the world around them. It will allow us to support parents with everyday costs in the here and now, while also building a better life for their children as they grow up. First and foremost, we are delivering for families through increased payments to parents, cheaper public transport and investment in childcare. We have record investment across Departments held by Green Party Ministers, in energy, climate, organics and the arts. This will allow us to keep delivering practical supports when it comes to energy bills, better public transport, more childcare and a thriving arts sector. We have ensured this is a fair and progressive budget. We will invest in community services that support vulnerable and marginalised communities.

The impact of this budget starts from the very moment a child is born. The Green Party is proud to have secured a special baby boost, comprising a child benefit payment of €420, which is three times the normal rate. When combined with other new budget measures such as increased maternity and paternity benefit, parents will be up to €800 better off in the first six months of their baby's life. Additionally, we have prioritised targeted increases to tackle child poverty. From 1 January 2025, the increase for a qualified child weekly rate will go up by €4 for children under 12 years of age and by €8 for children over 12 years of age. We want government to support parents and children every step of the way. that is why we are investing record amounts in childcare, we have introduced free public travel for children aged under nine, extended hot school meals to all primary schools and rolled out free books up to leaving certificate level.

I know parents want their children to have every possibility and every opportunity in life. They want to know that home ownership will not be out of reach for their children. Equally, the public should know the Government is doing absolutely everything possible to boost the amount of housing that is available. That is why the Green Party pushed hard to make sure the land hoarding tax was introduced as planned. This tax ensures that speculators do not get to sit on land banks watching the value of their sites grow and instead forces them to start building houses for our young people to live in. It is the right thing to do, which is why it was a key Green Party objective and why I am pleased this budget makes it clear it will go ahead from next year.

We have also agreed a big expansion of the retrofitting programme so that those in existing homes can refurbish them and enjoy warmer homes and lower fuel bills. We are also increasing the amount of money available for free retrofits for low income families. Again, these are targeted measures. We want to create the kind of thriving communities and spaces for children and families to enjoy and in which creativity can flourish. This is a budget that I am proud to say delivers on Green Party promises, supporting children and families from day one, caring for our natural environment and looking after the most vulnerable.

My predecessor as leader of the Green Party has been the central driver of the changes I have spoken about. This is a record of delivery I am pleased to say is continued in budget 2025.

In the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, has delivered a record €1.37 billion in investment to support families and communities and continue the push for a net-zero future. That funding will ensure that people can save money while saving the planet. The Minister secured €250 in energy credits to help keep people warmer this winter. There will be a record €469 million for retrofitting and solar PV, a significant €89 million increase on last year. The warmer homes scheme has increased to €240 million to provide totally free energy upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty. This sum represents a tenfold increase in the spend on that scheme in the first year of this Government.

In transport, the Minister secured a €3.9 billion budget, which is a €480 million increase in the allocation over 2024 and a €1 billion increase over the Department’s spend in the first year of this Government. More significantly, budget 2025 will see the introduction of free transport for all children under nine years on public transport, an increase from the previous age limit of five years. This means that some 180,000 additional children will travel for free this year, which was a key priority for the Green Party in this budget and something we are pleased to have delivered. Despite the progress made, we recognise that we need to continue to improve our public transport network in every part of this country. That is why €1.6 billion will be invested in public transport services and infrastructure, in new BusConnects programmes in urban areas, in new Connecting Ireland rural buses, in new local links and in new town bus services. Through this investment, we can continue to develop high-quality, accessible public transport infrastructure that everybody can avail of.

We know that in delivering for children and families, we have to deliver for all parts of the country and ensure a cleaner natural environment for the next generation. Two thirds of the land mass of Ireland is agricultural land so the measures we take on farms to improve water quality, biodiversity and soil health will all have a massive impact on the wider environment. Since the Green Party came into government in 2020, we have made huge progress in the area of organic farming. We have trebled the number of organic farmers to over 5,000 and this number will continue to grow thanks to the €67 million in funding for organic farming secured by the Minister of State, Senator Pippa Hackett, in budget 2025. We have grown from 1.6% of agricultural land being farmed organically in 2020 to 5% today, and we are on track to meet our target of 10% by 2030. The Minister of State has secured an additional €10 million for 2025 to allow us to continue that positive trajectory. For the fifth year in a row, the Green Party in government is putting funding in place to pay farmers to take measures to improve our environment and secure the long-term future of their family businesses.

In budget 2025, we are also seeing the impact of the Green Party in government when it comes to protecting nature. Over the past five budgets, we have brought National Parks and Wildlife Service funding from €28 million in 2020 to €78 million today. The Minister of State, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, has transformed the National Parks and Wildlife Service with a root and branch renewal, including additional staff and the setting up of a new biodiversity officers programme. There is a lot more to do but with that significant core investment, with the €3.15 billion climate and nature fund opening soon and with the nature restoration law now firmly in place, Ireland has never been in a better position to take real action for nature.

As the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, I am delighted that I am in a position to continue to deliver for children and families, in particular some of the most vulnerable people in the State. Over the last four years, I have overseen a radical reform of early learning and childcare in this country, a reform that has been backed by unprecedented levels of investment. When I became Minister, funding for early years was €638 million whereas in 2025, it will be €1.37 billion, which is more than a doubling of investment in that four-year period. This funding has helped to deliver significant reductions in childcare costs for parents. It will support increases in hours and places available in childcare, increased pay for early years professionals, who do such incredible work in services all over the country, and an increase in funding for early learning and childcare services.

Core funding, which is the funding paid directly to services, will be €390 million next year, which represents an 80% increase in funding since it was first introduced in 2022. We are increasing support for Equal Start, the DEIS model for early years that I introduced last year, to ensure that high-quality early learning and care is accessible for every child, regardless of their background. Next year, as part of that programme, we will roll out hot meals for vulnerable children.

Throughout my Department, we are increasing support for the most vulnerable. Budget 2025 sees an increase of almost 40% for Tusla - the Child and Family Agency, with €1.2 billion being provided in current and capital funding. We know it is vital that foster carers are supported and valued in order to keep carers in the system and maintain the high rates of foster care, relevant care and other care options that we see in this country. Last year, I supported a significant increase in the foster carer’s allowance and the second allocation of that will be paid from 1 November. This year, we have introduced additional supports. First, we know that in transitioning into foster care settings, there are inevitable once-off costs that foster carers experience. In budget 2025, I have secured an allocation to provide an additional double payment of the foster carer’s allowance at the start of each placement. We have also secured over €300,000 to contribute towards the mileage costs incurred by foster carers as they bring the children they are caring for to various appointments.

Also in the area of Tusla, I have always seen the importance of family resource centres and the support they provide to communities around the country. Earlier this year, I was able to provide increased funding for 53 of the network of 121 family resource centres. Given the budget announced yesterday, we will be able to grow the network of family resource centres by an additional five services next year, meaning that many new communities will be able to benefit from the range of services that family resource centres provide, from childcare all the way up to services for our elderly.

For youth services, €84.9 million has been allocated for next year, which represents a €9 million increase. That additional funding will support the sustainability of youth organisations. It will also help the expanding youth work services capacity, particularly through the funding of ten new UBU targeted youth services throughout the country. Crucially, following work undertaken by the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, I am delighted to announce funding for a pilot programme aimed at tackling holiday hunger, to be delivered through youth services. This will ensure that the benefits of hot school meals do not end during the summer break for the families who rely on them.

There are 650,000 people with a disability in this country. This year, we are allocating the largest sum of any budget over the last five years for disability services, some €3.2 billion, which is an increase of over €1 billion on the figure allocated since 2020. This funding will help to support people with disabilities to participate equally in society. The money will go towards improving and expanding services, increasing pay and assisting people living independently in their own homes. I believe this significant allocation reflects the priority given to disability since its transfer to my Department and it reflects the good work undertaken by the Minister of State, Deputy Anne Rabbitte, over the last four years. In 2025, we will see further expansion, including in regard to children’s services, day services, residential services and significant additional personal assistant hours, thereby supporting the independence of people with a disability.

The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, has worked tirelessly to secure record funding for sectors and communities under her Department's remit. She introduced the pioneering basic income for artists scheme and the €325 weekly payment for thousands of artists and workers in the arts is now funded beyond its three-year end date next year. Funding for arts and culture under the Minister has almost doubled since she became Minister. Next year, the Arts Council will receive €140 million in funding, Culture Ireland €8 million and Screen Ireland €40 million.

In supporting the tourism sector, the Minister, Deputy Martin, has secured €126 million in funding. Following the inspiring success of our athletes over the summer, funding for sport will increase to €230 million for the next year.

Funds to support specific broadcasting schemes have increased by €6 million, with the inclusion of a new scheme for news and current affairs for independent radio and television. TG4 will get €60 million in record funding and after unprecedented funding for the Gaeltacht in recent years, €6 million in additional moneys will be provided to support language schemes and Údarás na Gaeltachta.

Throughout the last four years, the Minister, Deputy Martin, has ensured that the arts, sports and tourism were supported through the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. The funding secured in budget 2025 will sustain those key communities and industries into future years.

As Green Party leader, I am proud that this budget continues the tasks we set ourselves in government of embedding the huge generational changes in our economy in how we live, investing more in helping families in their everyday lives and targeting measures at the most vulnerable. All of these steps have one thing in common. They are about taking the right action now to ensure that we all have a better tomorrow, that we drive forward with the crucial measures to protect our planet and the nature around us and, in particular, that things are better for our children when they grow up and start their own families. These have always been the Green Party's priorities and this is the work that we will continue to do.

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