Lorraine Clifford Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As Michelle Obama said some time ago, when political opponents go low, we go high. I intend to do that. There is only so much space available on the high moral ground. I do not intend to take that position from the Leader.

Fianna Fáil has some priorities and demands in this budget with discussions in this regard ongoing. These include prioritising sectoral protection measures in the agrifood, tourism and small and medium-sized enterprise sectors against the potential devastating impacts of Brexit. We also want to protect the poor and the vulnerable by ensuring this is a progressive budget. It was interesting to read the Taoiseach’s speech to the UN about the introduction of a carbon tax. Instead of a dividend being introduced, he announced a ring-fenced fund. Fianna Fáil has been calling for this for a long time. We welcome this U-turn as it is the only way of protecting against fuel poverty.

Outside of the bubbles of Leinster House and of Brexit, there are everyday issues, namely, housing, health and the ever-increasing cost of living, which are having a negative impact on people and cannot be ignored. With rents at such a high level, a whole generation of people are being locked out of the housing market. Today, we read of Kennedy Wilson boasting that it made more money on rents in Dublin than in Los Angeles. This is a damning indictment of the Fine Gael Government. The housing system is broken. While there have been many announcements, the Government sadly lacks delivery. The home ownership rate stands at 68%, the lowest since 1971. Countries such as Germany and Austria have seen significant increases in home ownership while ours has fallen.

People are struggling to pay childcare costs and even avail of it. Our transport system is creaking. Our quality of life is suffering. Yesterday, we had the bizarre situation of Iarnród Éireann being forced to ask passengers to stagger their journey times to reduce overcrowding. This shows how out of control the public transport system has become. I have constantly called on the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, to address overcrowding issues on the northern commuter line. He promised that 28 carriages would be refurbished and delivered but this still has not happened.

There are issues around the direct provision system. We all know it was originally supposed to be a temporary measure. Now, 20 years later it has not been tackled, is not sustainable and is completely inhumane.

I look forward to discussing the several challenges which I have outlined.