Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will reset the clock.Our approach has been to provide stability and address policy issues during an immensely difficult international period, with Brexit and potential difficult trade negotiations with the United States emerging as serious threats to our prosperity, as outlined by the Minister of State and the Minister for Finance earlier in the Dáil. This has provided the framework for economic growth for several years. We need to be cognisant of our significant reliance on tax receipts from US corporations. While welcome, it is certainly a challenge, of which we need to be aware.

Our priorities in the budget were Brexit, housing and the health service. We have secured an increase in the budget for social housing, while a further €60 million has been targeted at dealing with homelessness. While not sufficient, it is a step in the right direction to end the scandal of homeless families living in hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation. Fianna Fáil has also secured a €310 million package for an affordable housing scheme in the next three years. This investment will be used to construct at least 6,000 homes by 2021 and includes a subsidy of up to €50,000 towards building costs on State-owned land. This will help to make homes available for around €200,000 for those who qualify. The fund will act as a subsidy for local authorities in building units which will then be sold to buyers at the build price, minus the subsidy. The moneys from the sales will then be recycled to build more homes. The scheme will be open to households with a single earner earning up to €50,000 and those with a dual income of up to €75,000. The average house price will be just over €200,000. While it is a small initiative relative to the size of the problem, it is certainly welcome.

The National Treatment Purchase Fund was abolished by a previous Fine Gael Minister, but it has been restored under the confidence and supply arrangement, for which the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, claims great credit. It has been increased to €75 million and expanded to encompass a wider range of services such as mental health supports. Up to €3 million has been allocated for disability assessments, while personal assistant hours, home help hours and home care packages have been increased significantly. Prescription costs are to be cut by 50 cent for those aged over 70 years, while the threshold for the drug payment scheme is to reduced by €10.

Fianna Fáil has again secured an increase in social welfare payments of €5 this year. That gives a total increase of €15 under the confidence and supply arrangement in pension, carer's allowance and unemployment assistance payments. There will also be changes to the entry point to the tax system. Fianna Fáil has focused on reducing USC for low and middle income earners. The 4.75% rate is to be cut to 4.5% as a result of our negotiations. The national minimum wage is due to be increased in January 2019.

Sinn Féin has overseen a world record-breaking period in which there has been no government in Northern Ireland. It issued a pre-budget document with a black hole in it and took a ten-week holiday when government formation talks took place in 2016.