Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)

The disabled community is reeling in the aftermath of this budget. People are sharing ideas online of how they are going to spend the extra tenner a week. They are absolutely gutted by what the Government did. The Disability Federation of Ireland has called it a major setback. The Government's argument that it is providing services instead of allowing people to live independent lives is utterly insulting. The Government got a hammering from disabled people in the referendums on families and care and with regard to the pushback in respect of the Green Paper. The Government's response is to make disabled people and carers worse off. That is unbelievable.

Last night, many Government representatives talked about people waiting for the full five budgets. Many people cannot wait for five budgets. The Irish Wheelchair Association pointed out that a disabled person will be €1,614 worse off after this budget. We already have a situation where people with disabilities are twice as likely to be homeless and to be living in poverty. Gillian Sherratt, the mother of the late Harvey Morrison Sherratt, pointed out on social media that during Covid it was deemed, in the context of the pandemic unemployment payment, that people needed €325 per week to live on. The artist's basic income is €325, but disabled people and carers are expected to survive on so much less despite the fact that they have so many more additional costs.

After this budget, workers with children are much worse off. On the "Prime Time" programme last night people will have seen Erica who is €71 worse off. She is a teacher and her husband is an SNA. She is thinking of leaving the country, adding, of course, to the teacher shortage and skills shortage in care that we have. She does not want to leave her country but she has to consider it in order to have an affordable life. A single renter is €37 worse off. A couple with an income of €140,000, two children and a mortgage are €131 worse off. That is before the costs of groceries, electricity and all that are factored in.

We know developers, the fast-food industry and the restaurants got huge tax cuts. It should be pointed out again and again that apartments already being built and already with planning permission will get this money. It is just dead money. So much for Fine Gael looking after public money. Half a billion will go to developers and €680 million will go to the hospitality industry next year. That €680 million could have abolished the means test completely for all existing recipients of carer's allowance with money to spare.

We all heard the promise before the election of €200 a month for childcare. We know that Ireland spends the least on childcare in the whole OECD. We have the worst childcare to wage ratio in the OECD. We have the most privatised childcare system in the world with 75% being provided by private companies. Yet the Government turns around and does nothing, again waiting for another four budgets. Does it know that children grow up over the course of four budgets? Workers are paying for this and now the Government has left them bereft.

I want to mention a couple of other areas. The child benefit payment in August 2015 was €140 and it is pretty similar today. A Laya Life survey found it takes €294 a week to raise a child in Ireland and it has increased by nearly 40% in ten years.

There are two other areas want to ask about. The Irish language has become a huge issue particularly among younger people where there is a revival in the Irish language. However, demands to support that have just been ignored. Foras na Gaeilge has 45% less funding than 20 years ago. It will get an extra €2 million as will Conradh na Gaeilge, which is insufficient. CEARTA demanded an additional €55 million, but budget 2026 delivered half of that. TG4 got half of what it asked for.

I do not know if Dublin Zoo is covered under the heritage section. Is public money being allocated to Dublin Zoo? We know a meeting took place with the Minister where €25 million in public funding was asked for. No money should be given to Dublin Zoo, an archaic institution, until there is a full independent public inquiry into the treatment of animals, particularly things like the elephant breeding programme and also into its whole work culture. Public accountability is absolutely vital in this regard.

See this speech in context