Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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185. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if additional resources for front-line services will be a priority in the allocation of any leeway in the public finances in the years ahead; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18371/15]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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In light of the spring statement, will additional resources for front-line services be a priority in the allocation of any leeway in the public finances for the years ahead? Will the Minister specifically make a statement on restoring and improving front-line services?

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The economic crisis had a profound impact on the public finances. The fiscal adjustment implemented in order to exit the EU-IMF programme of support and return sustainability to the public finances required significant tax increases and expenditure reductions. We all know the figures in the House but they are very stark. Gross voted expenditure was reduced from its peak of €63 billion in 2009 to €54 billion last year. In implementing expenditure reductions, the Government's priority has been to ensure that a targeted approach was adopted in order to protect key public services and social supports to the greatest extent possible.

Budget 2015 marked a turning point in our recovery when expenditure reductions were no longer required to meet our fiscal targets and we were in a position to begin a modest improvement in front-line services. Additional funding in the education sector last year will go towards providing 900 new classroom teachers, 480 new resource teachers and 220 new special needs assistants and so on. Last September this Government oversaw the first recruitment of new gardaí since 2009. To date, 300 new recruits have entered the Garda College, with a further 250 new gardaí to be recruited this year.

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister mentioned figures but with every previous statement on education he spoke of demographic issues and increases in the number of pupils attending schools. He has spoken about extra teachers but the Government is not maintaining the pupil-teacher ratio; that has now deteriorated. There are 27% of children in classrooms with 30 or more pupils around the country. Despite the extra teachers, the number is not keeping pace with the number of new pupils attending schools.

Will the Minister provide funding for the 400,000 people waiting for outpatient appointments? There are people on trolleys in accident and emergency departments in record numbers this year and there are people waiting for operations, which is a very serious issue. Key staff must be hired again in the education sector, including career guidance teachers. Will the Minister do something meaningful about the housing crisis and the homelessness issue that is specifically a creation of this Government?

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy is wrong about the pupil-teacher ratio, as we did not adjust it and we did maintain it. We have provided the additional teachers to do that. We have also had to deal with the demographic pressure in the education area.

The Deputy asked about the health sector. Deputy Fleming assaulted me for approximately ten days at the end of last year about providing a Supplementary Estimate of €680 million for the Department of Health but he is now demanding more money for the Department. I have provided €650 million into its budget this year and since the beginning of the year I have allocated another €74 million to deal with the issue of pressure in the fair deal scheme and accident and emergency departments. This was to ensure people are treated in the appropriate setting.

With respect to housing, Deputy Fleming will recall that I regarded this as the most important issue in my budget speech last year, and I allocated €2.2 billion to start a social housing programme that had not happened in the entirety of the previous Government's term in office. These are important issues and we are addressing them on the basis of our capacity to do that.

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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When it comes to a Supplementary Estimate, Fianna Fáil and I will always support the Government where it will improve the health service. We will oppose the Government completely if the Supplementary Estimate is a cover-up for a flawed Estimate that was introduced in the first place. With most of what the Government introduced last year, we told the Minister on budget day that the Estimate was flawed. The HSE and the Minister for Health stated it was a flawed Estimate. The Minister believes we should applaud him when he corrects his flawed Estimate but we will not do so. I will support the Minister with a Supplementary Estimate to improve the health services.

In regard to the €2.2 billion for housing, the biggest announcement in the budget last year, much of that is by way of public private partnerships in the private sector, none of which has been put in place. Every time I hear the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, speak on the issue that €2.2 billion moves from 2020 to 2021 to 2022. I do not know where it will end. That promise of €2.2 billion will not even end in the lifetime of the next Government.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Deputy Fleming cannot have it both ways. Fianna Fáil demands more spending all the time, on Topical Issues debates and on Private Notice Questions, yet it says it is wrong to spend more. The people know what Fianna Fáil did to the economy. In terms of housing, social housing was commenced in every county in the country last week by the Minister, Deputy Kelly, with a budget of €300 million.