Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)

This budget has left workers and families feeling angry, deflated and abandoned. If you have been listening to any media during the day or saw "Prime Time" last night or any of the coverage, you will know that. Certainly, that is the clear sense on the ground in Waterford among my constituents. People see through the spin. They see a Government that can find billions in tax breaks for landlords and developers but cannot find the will to reduce rents, lower energy costs or properly fund the public services our communities depend on. In Waterford, families really are struggling with rent, childcare and the cost of living. They looked to this budget for hope and for help and what they got was another round of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil looking after the few while ordinary people are left behind.

Is í an Ghaeltacht cliabhán ár dteanga agus croí ár gcultúr ach arís eile tá an Rialtas seo tar éis faillí a dhéanamh ar na pobail sin. Is beag an méadú ar mhaoiniú don údarás, níl faic ann i dtaobh Gaeloideachais agus níl aon straitéis fíorúil do thithíocht Ghaeltachta nó don phleanáil teanga. Once again, the Government has neglected our Gaeltacht communities. There is no meaningful investment in Údarás na Gaeltachta, no increase for Irish-medium education, no expansion of Gaeltacht housing schemes and no support for the community groups that keep our language alive. Sinn Féin's alternative budget would have delivered multi-annual funding for Údarás na Gaeltachta, real investment in language planning and a plan to help young families stay and build their lives in the Gaeltacht.

Regarding community development, this budget is another missed opportunity to strengthen community life. Funding for the community and voluntary sector has flat-lined in real terms, despite rising costs and a pay crisis for staff delivering essential services. The Government gave no increase to women's and men's sheds, while our alternative budget sought to value their contributions. Similarly, this Government missed the mark by allocating just €3 million to the community centre investment fund, while Sinn Féin would have invested €20 million.

Sinn Féin would have increased funding for the community services programme, delivered fair pay across the voluntary and charitable sector, and invested in local development companies, which are the very backbone of our towns, villages and communities across County Waterford. This budget has ignored them and continues the long policy of neglect when it comes to rural Ireland. The overall rural development budget has been cut by almost €5 million on last year's budget, and this is not taking into account the really pernicious attacks on rural life and rural dwellers. I refer, for example, to the impact the carbon tax will have on families and on individuals who are trying to access training, get to work and get the kids to school. These things really need to be counted.

My colleague, Deputy O'Rourke, outlined the education aspect quite well in his contribution. We see a situation where schools are left reeling. Yes, there has been some progress on the capitation grant but schools are at capacity. There is crumbling infrastructure. In my town of Dungarvan there is the local Gaelscoil, Scoil Garbháin. Tá sé i gcruachás. It cannot fit any more children in there. The classes and the school are suffering as a result. I urge that we would-----

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