Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

After the budgets of the past few years, some people might be forgiven for welcoming today’s announcements as a relatively happy occasion. There are tax cuts, spending increases, higher payments for social welfare recipients and, as Senator Dolan mentioned, a little for almost everyone in the audience.

I would like to start with some positivity, something that is often lacking in modern politics. I am glad to see extra money from the Government going towards health. A 5% increase of €685 million and the hiring of 1,800 new front line staff should make some difference to delivery in many parts of the health system. I am also extremely happy to see the Government putting into effect the recommendations of my Green Party colleague, Deputy Catherine Martin, in regard to extending maternity benefits to mothers of premature babies born after 1 October this year, correcting a long running unfairness that left them at a disadvantage and lessened their freedom to make the choices they need to ensure the best care for their babies. The Ministers for justice and health must be commended for entering into this process in good faith and for delivering on their promise to make this idea a reality.

With regard to the new health allocation, I ask the Minister for Health whether he plans to follow a similar course and finally commit to guaranteeing the provision of 24-7 emergency cardiac care for the south east, and in particular the provision of a second, essential cath lab for University Hospital Waterford. This is, as we have sadly seen so recently, a matter of life and death for some in Waterford and the surrounding counties. I ask that this emergency care coverage black spot be prioritised in the allocation of this extra spending.

With regard to housing, I welcome the Government’s late conversion to the principle of increasing the levies on vacant land left undeveloped from 3% to 7% from the second year of inactivity. My colleagues in the Civil Engagement group and I introduced just such a measure here in February, but better late than never when it comes to tackling this crucial source of one of the problems in the housing crisis. A similar penalty applying to empty and derelict properties is as necessary as it is on undeveloped land, and this is something I hope the Government will also follow the Opposition’s lead on. Land-banking is not, and must never be, a right, especially in a time of such pressure as we are currently facing.

While the new allocations for housing construction are significant, the approach taken is still an almost entirely market-led one. I remain concerned that the private sector will continue to hold out for yet more carrots before beginning construction of new stock at the speed that is required. My group and I remain convinced that a local authority-led construction scheme for social housing in high pressure areas is the best way to deliver housing in the places that need it the most. I remain concerned that the HAP system as currently formulated can too often lead to social segregation and a two-tier housing system. We need to realise an approach to housing that sees homes as a fundamental right and not a system of investment.

On the issue of transport, I listened with dismay to the Minister's allocation of a derisory €3 million to cycling and other active transport. If we are to get serious about creating a critical mass that will allow for those that do not need to drive to switch to other, healthier, more equitable and less socially damaging modes of transport, then €3 million is just not enough. We need something closer to €10 million.

This to me is not a green budget. As we face into huge EU fines for failing to curb our climate-killing emissions, there is no grand plan to change our economy or society to the scale required. There is not even a plan to improve the charging network to accompany the tax supports for electric vehicle owners. There are no new rail projects or sustainable transport supports; nothing on the great aviation fuel tax giveaway; and nothing to recognise the environmental impact of diesel. The people of Ireland would have been better served by a more visionary budget rather than by the small tax cuts here and there that will cost the State hundreds of millions of euro and deny further resources to essential services. What a pity that all the colour that we have seen from the new Cabinet has been confined to the Taoiseach's socks and does not extend to today’s budget. We can only hope that next year's budget will be a little more visionary and ambitious.