Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Seo Rialtas a chruthaigh arís agus arís eile go gcuireann sé airgead na gcáiníocóirí amú. Tá róchaiteachas de €1.5 billiún feicthe againn ó thaobh Ospidéal Náisiúnta na Leanaí. Chaith an Rialtas €336,000 ar shed na rothar, €1.4 milliún don bhothán slándála agus sa sampla is moille den Rialtas ag cur airgead na gcáiníocóirí amú, tá sé i gceist ag an Rialtas €9 milliún a chaitheamh ar pouches do ghutháin phóca. Tá gnáthdhaoine na tíre seo ag ceistiú má tá an plot caillte ag an Rialtas seo. Seo sampla eile de Rialtas nach féidir linn muinín a bheith againn ann ó thaobh airgead na gcáiníocóirí a chaitheamh mar is ceart.

This is a Government that has proven time and again that it plays fast and loose with taxpayers' hard-earned money. We have seen an overspend of €1.5 billion in respect of the National Children's Hospital. The Government has spent €336,000 on the bike shed, €1.4 million on the security hut and in the budget on Tuesday, we saw the latest example of the waste of taxpayer money when the Government announced it would spend €9 million on phone pouches. The ordinary people of Ireland are asking has this Government lost the plot. This is another example of a Government that cannot be trusted with taxpayers' money. When the Minister for Finance sat at the Cabinet table and made this decision, did not one person put their hand up and ask whether the money should be spent on the 100 children with additional needs who still do not have a school place at this point? Did not one Government Minister at the table say that the money should be spent on increasing capitation funding so that schools can actually cover their lighting and heating bills? Did nobody at the Cabinet table put up their hands and say why do we not just ask the kids to leave their phones in their bags? Spending €9 million on phone pouches is grotesque. It is inexcusable, particularly at a time when Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have underfunded our schools across the State, with many schools - most of them - struggling to pay electricity and heating costs.

Budgets, as the Minister knows, are all about choices. When the Government chooses to underfund our schools for the basics, it is the parents who pick up the tab. We see this right across the State, with cake sales, race nights, 5km events and voluntary contributions, all to raise money to keep the lights on and pay the bills. If there were ever an example of political parties being in power for far too long drifting further and further out of touch with the realities on the ground, it is the Tánaiste, when he took to social media this week championing the fact the Government is spending €9 million on phone pouches. You could not make this up. Minister, stop the waste. Unlike the bike shed or the €1.4 million security hut, this money has not yet been wasted. Will the Minister please see sense, announce to the people of Ireland that the Government is not going to waste €9 million on phone pouches, and instead put that money into schools so we can pay for the lights, electricity costs, heating costs and other costs that those schools need?

See this speech in context