Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)

The absence of the Ministers is not a sign that there is an interest in what we have to say.

An independent life is what we all aspire to. What hope can young people have of an independent life and a home of their own after this budget? Two thirds of people under the age of 35 live at home with their parents. What hope can a disabled person have? What hope can a family paying €3,000 euro on average more a year for their groceries since the cost-of-living crisis began have? It is highly ironic that we all scan our own groceries now because Tesco and the other big chains force us to do so. However, they still charge us the same amount for those groceries.

Real incomes have decreased as inflation and the cost of living have risen. Electricity, which every person uses and which should be considered an essential, is being profiteered off. The price of electricity has risen by 69%. Gas has gone up by 102%. The average gas bill is now €280 euros more. The supports provided previously in this regard have been taken away from people.

The budget is a great giveaway for the takeaways, if people will excuse the pun. The fast-food chains will benefit from the VAT reduction, from 13.5% to 9%, for hospitality sector. Next year, this will cost the Irish taxpayer €670 million. Who gains from this? It is McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King and all of those huge multinational companies that are highly profitable as matters stand as opposed to the small cafes that communities need. Forty one per cent of this cut will go to the big fast-food sector and 20% will go to small cafés and restaurants. Some of the companies to which I refer are among the biggest and most profitable in the world. Given that we are marking two years of genocide, I take this opportunity to note that they are all at the top of the BDS list. McDonald's makes €41 million in profits in Ireland alone, so the chicken mcnugget subsidy is very aptly named. Supermacs has profits of €46 million. Deloitte, the accounting firm, has told the Government time and again that this cut will not have a benefit in the areas in which they Government says it wants it to go to. The INMO has pointed out that the Government could have hired 11,000 additional nurses or that free public transport could have been introduced for the cost of this cut in VAT.

On housing, the Government is throwing money at developers yet again in so many different ways. The Government has still not said how much the VAT reduction to 9% for the construction of apartments will cost. However, we do know the cost of some of the other initiatives it has introduced today. The cost of the cut in corporation tax for cost rental is estimated at €20 million. The cost of the corporation tax cut on some construction goods and the conversion of non-residential buildings has been put in the Government's books at €125 million. There are a slew of other incentives. How many social and affordable homes could have been built for that amount on council land that is lying idle? In this regard, I refer, for example, to the landbank in Dublin West, at Ashtown and Dunsink, which has been identified as having the potential to be used to provide 7,000 houses. The cost of rent is strangling people. The Government has just provided a €200 increase in the rent credit as opposed to the real rent controls that are needed. This move will not attract back one teacher, nurse or other essential worker from abroad.

As we know, the disability sector has been very neglected. Some 93% of the disposable income of a household in which there is a disable child is spent on disability costs.

The Government has increased the domiciliary care allowance by €20 a month, which is less than a fiver a week. The extra teachers and SNAs just cannot be found. Schools are closing due to costs. The Government has increased the standard capitation grant by €50 a year per child. The INTO asked for a €75 increase.

There are a couple of other things I noticed in the budget. In the context of justice, we have an epidemic of gender-based violence. There were four victims of male violence in two days last week, and the Government has increased the funding for the entire sector by €11 million. Once again, this is completely disproportionate to the need that is there for refuges, rape crisis centres and outreach services to help people get out of violent relationships.

In sport, the Minister mentioned a new era for football in our country. In that regard, he has allocated €3 million for the League of Ireland academies. A sum of €10 million was given to the NFL in order to get two teams to come here to play one game last week. That game will not benefit many thousands of people in the same way that football will. We need investment in grassroots sport, not this kind of investment in jingoistic sports and the super-wealthy.

This is a very wealthy country. By the Minister's own admission, the Government has a €10 billion surplus. Yet, students are going to pay €500 more for third level education than they did last year. Nothing has really been allocated to help people with childcare costs. Before this budget, the mantra from nearly every party was that the cost of childcare should be €200. We are absolutely nowhere near that. Of course, people cannot find childcare places. We need investment in a public childcare system that should, like primary and secondary education, be absolutely free. We do not need people completely ignoring the scale of the issue.

See this speech in context