Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)

The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, the ESRI, the Nevin Institute, and the Commission on Taxation and Welfare have all warned the Minister but instead of broadening the tax take this Finance Bill narrows it again. Sections 40, 67 and 68 take over a billion euro out of the State finances. This is money that could be used to build houses, hospitals and wind farms. The Government is playing fast and loose with Ireland's future just to keep its friends in the golden circle happy in the present. We have seen this before. Fianna Fáil did it and it crashed the economy. History is repeating itself; it just wrapped up in new language and old arrogance. I will talk on Committee Stage about what we need to do on research and development.

This budget has been a series of bad choices and missed opportunities. The Government could have backed families struggling with energy bills, abolished the means test for carers, introduced a cost-of-disability payment, reduced childcare costs and lifted 40,000 children out of poverty but it chose not to do that.

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