John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the emphasis in the budget on capital investment in infrastructure and housing. There is a full allocation of €19.1 billion for infrastructure in budget 2026, which is an increase of more than €2 billion on the 2025 figure. I very much welcome this. When we have such quantities of money to spend, it is important that we do not allow it to become bogged down in red tape and bureaucracy, which slows down the development of infrastructure. I know that next month the Minister, Deputy Chambers, is to publish an action plan on infrastructural development. I very much look forward to this simplifying regulation and reducing the administrative burden and red tape involved in progressing crucial infrastructure projects in all of our constituencies throughout the country.

I will mention a few projects in Galway in particular that I hope will benefit from it. We are advised that funding is there for them but I want to see them move through the infrastructure guidelines quickly. The development of two additional bed blocks at University Hospital Galway will be the first phase of the redevelopment plan for the hospital. I understand from the HSE that a design team is to be appointed before the end of the year. I hope that in 2026 we see this progressed through the accelerating infrastructure task force and planning system. As I have said, it is a first phase, following which will be development of the new emergency department, the maternity section, the paediatric section and cancer services. I hope we will see the quick development of these using the new infrastructure guidelines.

The Galway city ring road is long spoken about and I am very hopeful of a planning decision on it by the end of the year, and if not by the end of the year then early next year. I hope the new infrastructure task force and accelerating infrastructure guidelines to be published by the Minister, Deputy Chambers, will make sure the ring road is developed in a quickly. The Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, will be interested in the development of the pier at Rossaveel and, perhaps, the Galway Harbour Company. A planning decision is awaited and I hope it will receive planning permission and move through the infrastructure task force quickly. There is also the cross-city link, which will be a substantial public transport development in Galway city.

I welcome the record funding of €7.2 billion for housing next year. I hope it can bear fruit quickly. We need these houses urgently. We should alert the local authorities again that the Government has announced efforts to reduce the bureaucracy around gaining approval for public housing projects. We are advised the Government has reduced the approval process for social and affordable housing projects from a four-stage process to a single-stage process. I hope this will see quicker development of housing. I hope it will not be a case that it will still take the same length of time but with the process condensed into one stage. I hope we will see quicker decisions.

Allow local authorities to build. I do not see why we do not advise local authorities of their budgets at the start of the year and state that by the end of the year we will expect them to have built or developed a certain number of social and affordable houses. Local authorities are the bodies responsible for this. We have the budget now to allow this. Give them the money and let them do it, rather than having a process of the local authority seeking approval from the Department of housing. It seems to duplicate work. We should streamline it by giving the local authorities the money. I look forward to the publication of the new housing strategy during this Dáil term. I hope it will accelerate residential developments.

Other measures are included in the budget, which we hope will trigger investment in the private sector and the development of apartments. I certainly hope these measures have the intended impact. There is figure of close to €1 billion, I think it is €700 million, and it would be fantastic to think we might tackle the housing crisis through a combination of public and private investment.

One of the most noteworthy features of the budget is the effort to which it goes it goes to protect and further develop our public services. All of our citizens benefit from good quality public services. It is one of the great levellers in society. The Taoiseach said after the election last year that the development of better public services was one of the main focuses of the Government. It is mentioned throughout the programme for Government. I hope we see the measures in the budget having impact and being continued over the life cycle of the Government in each budget.

According to the budget, we will see an additional 12,500 staff in the public service. It is difficult to think this will not result in significant improvement for citizens accessing and benefiting from public services. This is the aim of it. The public should be reassured by this. We should have measures to make sure the public get the benefit of this expenditure and we should not see this money going into further bureaucracy and red tape. We should see bodies employed quickly to provide services. Some of the measures that stick out are the additional 3,370 staff in the health services and the €3.8 billion increase for disability services. The Taoiseach has spoken about the Government wanting to provide a step change in how we deliver disability services. This €3.8 billion is an indication of this intent. I hope that in all children's disability network teams, we will see enhanced therapeutic services and reduced waiting times for the children and support for families.

We can talk about these figures, and it is fantastic that we have the capacity in the economy and the Exchequer to provide them, but we need them to deliver for the public, particularly in this area. It is a commitment of this Government and we want to see it having an impact that benefits the end users. Also included in that €3.8 billion increase for disability services are further resources for respite care. We all know families who need respite care in support of the well-being of all of the family members. We all see it being a struggle for certain families to access respite care. Again, we need to make sure the moneys we are providing have that impact and that they provide the buildings for respite care and the staff to provide the service.

Another welcome initiative in terms of the public service for next year, which Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan has mentioned, is the 1,000 additional gardaí. Already in the lifetime of this Government, two classes have entered Templemore, resulting in 500 additional gardaí in the past year. The Minister may have said it was even more than that. The Minister of State would know himself. There is funding for 1,000 next year. The commitment to community policing is very welcome. Citizens throughout the country will welcome that.

I also concur with my colleague Deputy O'Sullivan in welcoming the additional capitation moneys for schools. I have been on career break from my school for just over a year. In the past number of years, especially since the Covid cleaning supplement was taken away from schools, they have been struggling. The increases in the cost of energy and the cost-of-living increases that has affected households has also had an impact on schools. This additional €50 in primary and special schools is badly needed. I hope it will provide some relief to schools and ensure they can provide adequate educational infrastructure while covering the day-to-day running costs of the school, that is, heating, lighting and so on. It is very welcome.

To add to my earlier comment about the development of our public services, the additional teachers - more than 1,000 - and over 1,700 SNAs to be provided next year again highlights the commitment of the Government, and I compliment the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, in particular, to the provision of classes for children with additional needs. This is most welcome. We all know parents and have heard about the stress they face coming into September not knowing whether there will be a class in their community for children with additional needs that their child can attend. I hope this additional 1,000 teachers and 1,700 SNAs will ensure more communities have the classes needed to ensure all children can attend their local mainstream school.

I also echo the sentiments of my colleague regarding the additional €3 million for the FAI. I encourage local authorities in those places where the FAI intends to develop academies to work with local soccer clubs to develop the types of facilities needed to progress the game locally. The additional money for the GPA and the large-scale sporting infrastructure fund is also very welcome. The Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, has advised us that the sports capital programme will be open for clubs to apply to for funding in the new year. That is a much sought after programme. These resources develop facilities that every community needs. I look forward to that expenditure and to helping clubs try to avail of that funding.

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