Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join Senator Bacik in extending our sympathies to the people of Nepal on the awful tragedies that have unfolded over the weekend. While I welcome the Government aid of €1 million, I hope we will be able to find much more to alleviate the appalling humanitarian situation that is evolving there and to help other countries to provide resources to rebuild some level of accommodation for those very unfortunate people.

I would have thought that all sides of the House would welcome the spring statement, which indicates, nationally and internationally, that the country is back on track and heading in the right direction. Four years ago we were almost over the cliff, whereas today, through prudent management, we have managed to bring the national deficit from €15 billion per annum to €4.5 billion this year. The Action Plan for Jobs published by the Government at the start of its term of office, indicated that we would hopefully create an environment that would yield 100,000 jobs by 2016. This target will be achieved a year earlier and, hopefully, we will achieve full employment by 2018, with the benefits spreading out into all regions of the country.

It is estimated that the economy will grow by 4% this year and by 3.25% per year for the next decade, which will bring every significant benefits to all parts of the country. The Minister has indicated that he will have flexibility of between €1.2 and €1.5 billion this year, and I am pleased that it will be split 50:50 between tax reductions and spending on vital public services. I want special consideration to be given to children and adults with disabilities and I want additional resources to be pumped into the provision of respite care to give relief to parents who are severely stretched as a result of caring full-time for children with disabilities. I hope today's announcement is a step on the road to further prosperity. There was additional good news in the CSO figures published today that show that 14% more visitors have come to Ireland in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. While we are heading in the right direction, we still have an enormous amount of work to do.