Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, and commend today's budget. In his budget speech, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, said that for the first time in a decade we have balanced our books. As a result, we are more secure as a country and better able to care for people and families. I have been a Member of these Houses for more than 16 years and I remember the first few budgets during my time in the Oireachtas. It was a mix between a rock concert and a fleadh. All the various interest groups came into Leinster House in December to tell the Government what to do and every bar within half a mile was full. Now we have a prudent budget, which passes quietly through the House in October. This shows how things have changed in politics, thankfully. Rather than engage in megaphone politics, the Government has listened to the various interests and delivered a budget which gives something back to the hard-pressed middle and lower income families.

I welcome the increase by €750 in the entry point to the higher rate of income tax for all earners. This change raises the threshold for the marginal tax rate from €34,550 to €35,300 in the case of a single person. Middle income earners will also benefit from the reduction in the third rate of the universal social charge from 4.75% to 4.3%. Communities will benefit from the new healthcare and childcare measures, including greater access to GP visit cards, a €1 billion investment in mental health services and an increase in the number of families benefitting from affordable childcare schemes. This makes for a progressive budget for 2019.

The budget contains a range of new, fair and sustainable measures to care for the most vulnerable in our communities. It makes life easier for families. These measures include a €25 increase in the weekly income threshold for GP visit cards, a 50% reduction in prescription charges from €2 to €1.50 for all medical card holders over the age of 70 and a €10 reduction in the monthly drugs payment scheme threshold from €134 to €124. As a new parent, I welcome these measures. I also welcome the extra €84 million for mental services in 2019, which brings the total available funding for mental health to €1 billion, an increase of 9%. The provision of an additional €150 million for disability services for next year is also very welcome.

An increase of €5 per week in all weekly social welfare payments and the restoration in full of the Christmas bonus payment to all social welfare recipients will be a timely boost for many.

The creation of 1,300 additional posts in schools and 950 special needs assistants will be a major boost to many schools in the State. There is also considerable investment in the area of childcare and the early learning sector.

On transport, I am delighted that funding approval has been given to the N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin road in Sligo as part of an extra €1.26 billion in capital funding made available to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. This project, which is referred to in the 2040 development plan, is very welcome.

Provision has been made for a new paid parental leave scheme, which provides two extra weeks leave to every parent of a child in its first year. This must be welcomed by many families. I understand the Minister for Finance intends over time to increase paid parental leave to seven weeks. It is a very welcome change.

I commend some of the measures that benefit the farming communities. An extra €57 million has been provided to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to support the agriculture sector. The young trained farmers stamp duty relief and stock relief measures have been extended for a further three years. All in all, this is a very fair budget. It is nice to see it has been introduced in a measured way against a calm background, unlike the madness associated with the budgets introduced when I first entered the Houses.