Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to examine measures taken in budget 2026 on Tuesday, the first of five budgets expected in this new Dáil term. It aims to steady the economy in challenging times, invest for the future and improve services that families rely on.

It attempts to balance day-to-day pressures with long-term capital investment in housing, hospitals, schools and safer streets. Housing funding will reach over €11.2 billion in 2026, up a massive 20% with €5.19 billion allocated for capital investment and €2.02 billion for current spending. Within that is €2.9 billion to deliver 10,200 new-build social homes and continue the acquisitions programme. Homelessness services rise to €563.5 million, up sharply from last year. Water infrastructure, essential to new housing, gets a 29% increase for Uisce Éireann to €2.2 billion, with overall water services at about €2.5 billion. These are the building blocks for supply.

Compared with 2025, there is €1.5 billion extra in current health funding. This will allow the recruitment of 3,300 additional staff, between 220 to 265 extra acute beds, more than 1.7 million home-support hours, and capital of €1.56 billion to progress projects such as the National Maternity Hospital, ambulance bases and the digitisation of health records.

Education and youth funding totals €13.1 billion which is 7% up on last year, with 1,717 additional special needs assistants, SNAs, 860 extra special education teachers and higher school capitation of €50 per primary pupil and €20 per post-primary pupil. Some €69 million has been allocated to strengthen school transport while €1.6 billion in capital will move over 300 school projects through construction.

There is €5.78 billion current and €390 million capital for the justice sector. The Garda budget funds up to 1,000 new gardaí, 200 extra staff, a doubling of the Garda Reserve to 600, and 392,000 extra overtime hours for visibility purposes. There is €160 million for technology, including national rollout of body-worn cameras. The capital allocation for new stations is €174 million, alongside investment in prisons, probation and court services. It is appropriate that the Minister is here. I welcome the Garda capital programme. I again press for a new Garda station at Cherrywood and the refurbishment and expansion of the Dún Laoghaire and Shankill stations to match the growth and commuter patterns. Those projects should be prioritised within the capital envelope now provided.

The total Social Protection spend is €28.9 billion, which is the largest single component of the budget representing almost 25% of State spending next year. Core weekly rates rise by €10; carer’s allowance income disregards increase to €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a couple; fuel allowance rises by €5 to €38 and opens to working family payment households; domiciliary care allowance is up by €20 a month. These are modest but meaningful steps and crucially must continue across the next four budgets. Work always pays and families are supported.

I welcome the reduction in VAT for labour-intensive sectors like hairdressing and hospitality, supporting jobs in every town and village across Ireland. It was interesting to see some of the Opposition, including Sinn Féin members, voting against the VAT cut here then hailing it outside the Chamber in the media.

The increase in the national minimum wage from €12.70 to €13.80 on 1 January 2026, worth almost €2,230 a year for a full-time worker, is a step in the right direction. Again, this was largely ignored by Opposition speakers.

The USC 2% band moves up to €28,700 in line with the increase in the minimum wage and the 9% VAT on household energy is extended to the end of 2030.

Many positive steps have been taken in budget 2026. We are not hearing a lot of that in this Chamber from certain quarters but ultimately it is there to support hard-pressed families at a very difficult time and also to support enterprise so that it can continue employing people and continue the growth in the economy.

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