Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

——it reaches Sligo. Senator Healy Eames is aware of my commitment to that. With regard to taxation, we have again tried to ensure that people on the lowest incomes are either kept out of the tax net or pay the minimum amount of tax. This is most important and must be welcomed.

Approximately 80% of budget expenditure is in the areas of health, education and social welfare. To be able to do that in a far more challenging environment than has existed for the past ten years is a credit to the Minister, his officials and the Government. It would be ridiculous of the Opposition not to admit that, at least. As a practising auctioneer I welcome the changes in stamp duty. They have been carried out in an innovative and clever way to ensure the benefits reach those who most require attention, including first-time buyers and people at the lower end of the market. The average house price is €370,000; it is less in the regions. There is something in the changes for everybody. It was necessary to inject an element of confidence in the market. It is a statement that the indicators of this economy are still impressive in an international context, notwithstanding the international pressures. I welcome those changes and I hope they and the changes in tax relief for mortgages will help the housing market.

Given the nature of the debate, I do not have time to go through all the areas on which I wish to comment. This is a budget which, as a member of Fianna Fáil and a representative of the Government side of the House, I am proud to state has given priority to the most vulnerable in our society. That is welcome and is in the Fianna Fáil tradition. I am proud of that. In difficult circumstances it has ensured, through the capital programme and with moderate borrowing, that we can maintain momentum and create employment and economic growth. Above all, it has made a significant start in confronting the great challenges we face in protecting the environment. It combines a number of measures, which we must all buy into through our choices and the incentives offered in the budget, to contribute to the preservation of our environment.