Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As a Fianna Fáil man, I welcome the retention of the 9% VAT rate. I advise Senator Harte that it was not I who had that conversation with him. People welcome what is good about the budget. I spoke, on our party's behalf yesterday, and began by acknowledging the good measures. I must agree with a point mentioned by Senator Byrne and also mentioned last night. In the context of the Back to Work scheme, the analogy I gave last night was that one might as well tell the head of the national lottery to give the winning lottery numbers to the first person to come in with both parents over the age of 105; I predict nobody will qualify for that particular scheme and that an additional €1 million will be saved.

The leader of the Opposition, Senator Darragh O'Brien, mentioned the unique situation regarding health where again an unfortunate number, the number of the beast being €666 million, is predicted to be saved in health and we do not know where any of these cuts are set to fall. That is a matter of concern. I would like Leader to arrange for an early debate on that matter because there are grave concerns about it throughout country. What will these cuts mean? Will there be hospital closures? We have had a budget overrun of nigh on €200 million and now another €666 million is needed and at the same time the Government is able to roll out medical cards for Michael O'Leary's children. There is concern about these issues.

I ask that the Minister for Education and Skills would come to the House because in respect of third level education, €25 million in savings is earmarked from what the Minister described in his Budget Statement yesterday as the positive cash balances of certain institutes throughout the country. Does that mean that if an institute of technology or a university has managed to secure additional income streams of its own, has been prudent with the resources, saved money and is financing a strategic plan or a capital programme, such as Sligo Institute of Technology, its own strategic plan will be put in jeopardy because it may have resources saved over the years to finance its own capital expenditure? By contrast, the institute in Waterford in the Leader' county need an additional €10 million that was given to it this year.