Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome budget 2023. I have been a Member of the Seanad for quite a few budgets and this is the best budget I have ever witnessed in these Houses. Great credit is due to Governments over recent years that we are in such a great financial situation in which the current Government can give out such an amount at this time. It is greatly needed by the people.

A lot of money has been given to health, education, local authorities and many agencies. It is time that we should look at efficiencies. There is a responsibility on governments to check efficiencies and determine how efficient local authorities, the health system and the Department of Education are, because some money is not well spent. It behoves all of us as in this House as public representatives and the Government, in particular, to hold everybody to account and to see how public money is spent. This is taxpayers' money. It is ratepayers' money and money from people who pay the property tax. Hard-pressed people's money is being given out by the Government. There is an onus on every one of us to see that we get value for money in education, in health, and in our local authorities.

The most efficient body I have dealt with in the past 12 months has been the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI. Staff there are very efficient and get back to people. They tell people whether they will get a grant. When a person lodges an application, staff get back to them straightaway to say whether the application has been successful. It is great to say that about any State agency. I am pleased to see how efficient SEAI is.

All in all, I welcome budget 2023. With 2.5 million people employed, we are nearly at full employment. Great credit is due to the Government on the way the economy is being run.