Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Those who are struggling in mortgage arrears or paying rip-off rates on variable-rate mortgages, and those whose respite care grant has been cut are being given nothing new. It was a set piece to allow the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, to congratulate each other and say that everything is great. Maybe we could assist in some way if the Leader has already scheduled time in the next week or two for both Ministers to come to the House. If they wish to come together, as it appears they get on well together, I would have no problem with that. We can put in another chair and they can sit there and hold hands if they wish. We could go through the spring statement in detail. This is a very strange departure. For a Government that was elected on the promise of doing things differently and introducing a new kind of politics, this is auction politics at its best. It has tried to get a full week's publicity in the run up to statements made today that do not stand up in any shape or form and that are devoid of substance and any type of plan for future action. Will there be a budget in October? What is happening with the self-employed? What is happening with regard to assistance for the self-employed, about which there have been leaks recently, assistance for those on variable-rate mortgages and all the children in this and other cities who have not been able to access early intervention since June 2012 and who have been affected by the reduction the in pupil-teacher ratio? Nothing. It would be useful if the two Ministers came to the House, together or separately, to address these points in the statements and allow us to question them and try to get some element of substance and fact from the statements they made today. On behalf of my group, I want to say how awful the situation is in Nepal. We offer our sympathies to the people there on the thousands of deaths and injuries due to the earthquake. We welcome the Government's initial response. I know it will be going further by way of humanitarian aid for the people of Nepal, who need it desperately. Most of the country has not even been accessed yet. Some 85% of the people live outside the capital, Kathmandu, and their villages and towns have not been accessed at this stage. The Irish Government has already started to do this, but I call for us to support as best we can all the humanitarian efforts that are being made to alleviate the suffering of the people in Nepal.

Finally, I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 15, the Moore Street Area Renewal and Development Bill 2015, be taken today, before No. 1.