Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There was a significant opportunity in this budget, particularly in light of the Apple money, to make a sizeable difference in people’s lives, especially in County Kerry. The lack of ideas or of working for the common good is not surprising, given that the Government spent €10 million trying to prevent the money from coming to the State in the first place. This budget will not help children with autism in Kerry who are effectively being denied an education, nor will it help them obtain a GP or give hope to parents whose children are on OT waiting lists, where there are 1.5 whole-time equivalents between Dingle and Tralee to deal with a waiting list of approximately 280 people. Will it address staff shortages in physiotherapy in Kerry? There are no community physiotherapists in Kenmare and the waiting list in Killarney has increased to two years. It will not include a plan for wastewater infrastructure in places like Castlegregory, Ballyduff and Abbeydorney. Core funding for the family resource centres, which do great work around the county, has not been increased. They are devastated by this news. It will still be difficult to get a house to rent or buy and the social housing waiting lists will continue to grow, yet there is no plan to deliver affordable housing in Kerry. More and more over-60s are renting and more and more under-40s cannot own their own homes.

Regarding Garda numbers, something innovative has to be done to recruit more gardaí. I spoke to a senior garda yesterday. Of the 120 who went into Templemore recently, seven left within a week. A second Garda training college has to be considered, as must keeping gardaí on part time.

Regarding prisons, an emphasis must be placed on trying to pass a restorative justice Bill so as to reduce the number of people entering prison in the first place, particularly on short-term sentences.

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