Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party)

I am glad Charlie McConalogue is here in the Chamber because he is the man I want to talk to. Today across the country, particularly in Donegal, we have got a budget that is an absolute insult to working people - a nothing budget for people. What kind of message does it send out to working people when we have given them absolutely nothing? There are no measures to prevent homelessness in this budget. As we speak 16,353 people, including 5,000 children, are homeless in this country. In our own county, Donegal, potentially 25,000 homes have defective concrete. We have a scheme that has failed twice but is not being addressed and a 10% retrospective payment that the Government never did anything about. It has abandoned the people and it is absolutely ridiculous. I am glad that I can talk to you today about this. Somehow the idea of thousands of children without a home, robbed of their childhood, particularly in Donegal, has become normalised, in the Fianna Fáil Government.

In our own county, the healthcare budget put forward is certainly not adequate for the growing population and 220 new beds are nowhere near enough to address the long waiting lists. There seems to be little investment. There are serious health conditions such as functional neurological disorder, a disorder which is common, debilitating and sometimes chronic. One of my constituents told me they have had to fight tooth and nail to get any kind of medical or financial support. The strain is immense without any national treatment plan. People who present with severe mental health difficulties and chronic pain are often not treated appropriately causing delays in diagnosis. There are very troubling patterns with patients not being taken seriously, insufficient investigations, over-reliance on basic medications and inappropriate diagnosis where specialised care needs to be prioritised.

I welcome that the budget included investment in refurbishment of community nursing units in Buncrana. However, no timeline is in place. What is it with Donegal? They give us something and never give us a timeline for implementation. Many of my constituents in Donegal rely on respite care, particularly in Buncrana. The closure of this centre has caused enormous distress and isolation for many in the community.

There is inadequate funding for expanding desperately needed healthcare facilities in the north west. Many people are forced to travel for radiation treatment for cancer. If somebody in Donegal has cancer, they have to travel for treatment which is unacceptable. We are the only county that does this. We need to stand up and say this is enough and put the proper services in place. It is unbelievably cruel that were forced to do this. The strain it puts on families is unbelievable. Again it speaks of a government completely devoid of empathy.

I welcome the increase in funding for Tusla for over 5,000 foster care placements. However, this still does not address the many issues foster families face. Foster carers need increased access to therapeutic supports and an increase in aftercare allowance along with pension security in parity with everybody else. The lack of recognition that foster carers receive is disrespectful and a slight on them. They are providing an absolutely fantastic service at a cost to their own families and the Government is neglecting them.

I visited Donegal youth services on Monday and the service they provide to young people is inspiring. Some 18,000 people go through that but there was not a mention and nothing for them in the budget.

I was delighted to see the €23 million increase in the allocation for the Irish language. However, there is a notable lack of funding for the Gaeltacht communities, which have been absolutely abandoned again, particularly in Donegal.

Overall the budget does absolutely nothing for struggling families. The Irish consumer is still paying the highest costs in Europe for electricity. Since 2021 the cost of electricity has jumped by 69% while the cost of gas has more than doubled and the Government has done nothing. The average grocery bill for families there is €3,000. Ministers sit back and give each other claps on the back. It is a no-good budget for anybody and the Government has done nothing for them.

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