Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will speak carefully and quickly. I welcome the Minister. This is an incredible budget for one of the most challenging times Ireland has faced. We are dealing with the loss of life and with the loss of our loved ones every day. We are fighting a battle against Covid-19 that will take all of our stamina, determination and resolve. As a country, our first priority is to protect and save lives. We are in the eye of the storm again. There are 32 people in intensive care, 22 of whom were admitted in the past 24 hours. That was the data from yesterday alone, when there were over 800 new cases.

This budget will save lives. It will provide for people in need. It will also protect the most vulnerable. There is a commitment to increase bed capacity by means of the allocation of an additional €4 billion. Our hospitals have been crying out for extra funding for decades. Portiuncula University Hospital is part of the Saolta University Health Care Group in the west. It has only 13 beds. However, the hospital, the general manager and the healthcare team took the initiative. They moved patients out to a prefab building in the car park. They are now looking to develop rooms into single rooms. These will be available so that the hospital can have capacity during the winter months. Will the Minister provide detail regarding timelines for Department decisions on capital investment in locations such as Portiuncula University Hospital?

There is also a commitment to recruit 16,000 healthcare professionals across the primary care sector and in our hospitals, in addition to 67,000 directly employed by the HSE. That is a phenomenal increase. It is almost a quarter above the number in place already. However, there are challenges in attracting people, especially young people, to healthcare settings and hospitals in regional towns. How do we ensure that those vacancies will be filled in the regional towns? I call on the Minister to consider specific incentives for regional locations within the HSE to attract and retain talent. Is this something that we could look at?

I note the plan for 5 million additional hours for home help. That is most welcome especially in an area with older people and an independent population. There is €100 million for disability services.

I wish to quickly talk about those in need. We will come through this together as a country. When we do, we will need jobs. We will need to ensure our businesses and the vital sectors of our economy have survived. The Government is supporting over 750,000 jobs in Ireland through the pandemic unemployment payment, the jobseekers benefits and the temporary wage subsidy scheme. All these jobs keep families going. We welcome the VAT rate. We welcome everything that is being done in investment in our rural towns and villages, especially under the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys.

I welcome the reduction in the rate relating to the transfer of farms within families from 6% to 1%.

Finally, the previous Fine Gael Government delivered a budget surplus and an economy that is allowing us to borrow at low rates. The current Government has a plan in place to save lives, provide for those in need and protect the most vulnerable. I am proud to see these measures being put into place by this Government to fight Covid-19 and to prepare our country for Brexit.