Elisha McCallion (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and congratulate him on his appointment. I look forward to working with him in the term ahead.

I will begin on a positive note by referring to work on which I and many others have been involved for a number of years. I welcome the Government's commitment to provide €500 million in the years to 2025 for opportunities for North-South co-operation. This is a welcome first step in the right direction and lives up to the commitments that were made by the Irish and British Governments last January in the New Decade, New Approach agreement. I am particularly pleased to see that the beneficiaries of the fund includes the north west, Border communities, the Ulster University Magee Campus and will strengthen North-South health links. The Government knows too well the deep seated damage that has been caused to the people who live along each side of the Border, especially economically. This investment will sit alongside that made by the North's Executive and, indeed, the British Government earlier this year. It is that joined-up approach in dealing with the decades or century of neglect that we, in Sinn Féin, have advocated and pursued for many years. It is essential if we are to overcome the economic disparity that exists between the people in the Border region and the rest of the island. I assure the Minister that I will hold his feet and the feet of his ministerial colleagues very close to the fire regarding the investment to ensure it goes where it is most needed.

Generally speaking, however, notwithstanding all the hype and spin we have heard over the past 24 hours, this budget will not bring much comfort to those most in need. Like every other budget by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil before them, it delivers very little in terms of substance. The only difference this year is that it is a coming together of both parties to deliver a package of promises. I fear these will turn out to be empty promises.

For struggling families to pay rent or for people who have vulture funds breeding down their necks, there is no protection to keep a roof over their heads. There was nothing for the childcare sector or families struggling to pay for their childcare.

For our hospitals and healthcare workers, the numbers of beds promised are not ambitious enough. As far back as 2009, we had 289 critical beds. At the time, it was determined that we needed 579 critical beds by 2020, yet 11 years later we still only have 280 such beds. Sinn Féin, in its alternative budget, would have provided for 100 additional critical care beds and 1,100 additional care beds to enhance the surge in capacity that will come and protect the non-Covid surgeries and procedures that we will see in the future. The concern is that without extra capacity, hospital care beds for Covid patients will again result in non-Covid care being delayed, thus denying care to cancer patients, chronic cardiac patients, surgery patients and leading to the closure of acute services for new patients. Sinn Féin would have expanded capacity, increased staff numbers and provided extra funding ring-fenced for mental health and cancer care. It is obvious that the promised beds cannot be delivered without increasing staff levels. To do so would require the political will to address pay inequality and engage in a meaningful recruitment drive. The Government failed to do that in this budget and continues to ignore this major problem.

The student supports set out in the budget are welcome but once again they are a one-off measure. The budget provided no vision for the future of higher and further education. It did not address the funding crisis in universities or the financial barriers to accessing third level education which, despite Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, continue to exist. Sinn Féin proposed an additional €60 million in core funding to address the funding crisis in third level institutions on top of what the Government set aside in its additional funding. The Government provided €20 million for SUSI grants as a result of Covid. It is important to note that this does not necessarily represent an expansion of the scheme. It means that more people will have lost their income and will, therefore, become eligible for a SUSI grant. I ask the Minister to clarify that matter.

Sinn Féin proposed an expansion of Student Universal Support Ireland to cover more people by increasing thresholds and supporting more students. We would also have cut registration fees by €500 and we set out a strategy to abolish fees and remove financial barriers to accessing third level education once and for all.

Funding for apprenticeships is inadequate and the figures simply do not add up. The Department of Education estimates that the cost of an apprenticeship is between €7,000 and €9,000. The €8 million in the budget for 4,000 apprenticeships only covers 2,000 apprenticeships based on those figures. The funding does not cover traditional craft apprenticeships, for which close to €10,000 per apprenticeship is required. I am sure that the Minister will agree that high-quality apprenticeships should be a priority.

More was needed to give hope to families who are struggling, to give renters more hope and to give hope to cancer patients and those who suffer from mental health issues. Those with disabilities had to fight for their supports. Everything has to be a fight with this Government, which is quite simply exhausting. People should not have to fight at the most difficult time of their lives. Unfortunately, I see this budget, once again, as a missed opportunity. People deserve better.