Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)

There was shock across the State when the news broke on budget day that there was going to be no tax breaks for workers. I was in disbelief. I had assumed that, given a €2.5 billion tax package, there would surely be something in the budget for ordinary workers, who we all know are at the pin of their collars trying to make ends meet. The fact they were not mentioned and not heard by this Government angered them greatly, and I understand why.

What became apparent was that this Government was not here for the worker, but for the banks and the big developers. This is a frustrating reality for workers in our economy who contribute so much to the economy and society in which we live. When workers are able to live, make ends meet, afford childcare, afford housing and pay their electricity bills, it is a sign of a strong, functioning economy, one that works for the people who live in it, but which also contributes to the development of the local economy and local businesses, especially in more rural areas, including in my constituency.

Is mór an trua é nach raibh aon rud don ghnáthoibrí sa cháinaisnéis. Shíl chuile dhuine go mbeadh rud éigin sa phacáiste seo de bharr go raibh pacáiste cánach chomh mór sin i gceist, ach ní raibh tada ann don ghnáthoibrí nach bhfuil in ann a gcuid billí a íoc. Tá an t-airgead ag dul chuig na forbróirí móra agus na bainc.

Workers are not only at the pin of their collars. For many, an awful lot of change is happening. I see this, in particular, in the financial sector. For example, workers at Bank of Ireland have been told they will have to work eight days a month from the office in Dublin. These are workers who are employed in places such as Galway under the condition of travelling one day a month to Dublin. These workers are having their working conditions completely changed and slashed. The bank is now changing their ability to work from home or from their local branch. Many of these workers were hired on the premise that they could work from home, with a requirement to travel to the Dublin office one day a month. Workers living in my constituency of Galway West took jobs that allowed them to work between their homes and local branches in Galway. They are now being forced to commute to Dublin eight days a month for no clear reason. Where can they stay? How can they be expected to commute for hours at a time every single week. There has been uproar around this. This decision was unilaterally imposed on workers without consulting them or their union. The union is clear that it wants the bank to engage in a meaningful discussion at the Workplace Relations Commission, so the issue can be resolved and a fair arrangement can be found to address workers' concerns. Many workers within our community and society are really concerned that this budget did not impact on them but did impact on certain others, as my colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty, said.

It has cut the design standards for apartments and the flagship policy in the Finance Bill is cutting tax on apartments. There are no rent freezes, increases in funding for social housing or reform of the broken planning system. Instead, there is a ridiculous policy that does nothing more than line the pockets of developers. This string of changes is only creating one kind of home, namely build to rent apartment blocks with flats that are smaller, darker and, increasingly, more expensive. For the next two years, this will have no impact on the supply of housing. Apartments are under construction or have already been built. It is an absolutely pathetic attempt to address the housing crisis.

There is a pat on the back for big developers for delivering housing at extortionate prices instead of good quality, secure and affordable housing that people desperately need. More than anything, the Finance Bill exposes the fact that the Government has no plan to address the housing crisis. Sometimes I think there may not be the will. The only way the Government can talk about housing is through a rudimentary understanding of economics, where housing delivery only exists in terms of supply and demand. The high density, high cost and low quality blocks of apartments owned by international investment funds are a symptom of a broken housing system. This Finance Bill ensures that housing is now a financial asset and not a home.

Tá daoine ag streachailt. Tá siad ag iarraidh go mbeadh siad in ann cónaí in áit éigin agus go mbeadh teach acu. Ta siad ag iarraidh go mbeadh sé d’acmhainn acu cíos a íoc agus teach, nó árasán fiú, a cheannach. Níl siad in ann é sin a dhéanamh, áfach. Ní raibh tada sa cháinaisnéis seo don ghnáthdhuine a théann ag obair. Chuile sheachtain i mo chuid clinicí, feicim agus éistim le daoine atá ag streachailt agus nach bhfuil in ann a gcuid billí ná cíos a íoc.

See this speech in context