Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----wanted a budget that was more affordable. As people are travelling home this evening and digesting the news from this budget, they will have a sense and feeling that the announcements made by the Ministers, Deputies Michael McGrath and Donohoe, will have made a difference to their lives in a real and tangible way. People are financially better off and the fact that this has occurred has led to the fact that the Sinn Féin representative cannot stay to hear that, bar it hurt his hears or those of anyone else from the Opposition. They know when their goose is cooked and no amount of teeth gnashing from the spectres of doom we had to listen to this afternoon will change that reality. It is pathetic for Members of the Houses to attack a budget that will improve people's lives in so many ways.

Among the most standout announcements today by the Minister for Finance were the measures in reducing USC, raising the entry threshold level and increasing the minimum wage, which have the effect of increasing the net take-home pay of a full-time worker on minimum wage by €2,300. I do not know what land Senator Warfield is living in where that is not real pounds, shillings and pence but I met three young shop assistants last week who were asking me what this budget would mean for them and they now have an additional €2,300 in their take-home pay, which is real delivery. The plethora of cost-of-living measures will also put more money in people's pockets. Parents will get a double child benefit allowance payment, coming up at the expensive time of Christmas. That is real delivery. There will be €450 in energy credits, which is real money and real delivery. The free school books scheme has been extended to the junior certificate cycle, which is a massive saving. For those of us who are parents of teenagers that is a huge cost and that will be a massive saving for people in a real way, as well as the mortgage interest relief that will help families.

Speaking of homes, the acceleration of progress on housing is growing with the €2.6 billion capital investment in housing. Some 400 first-time buyers are purchasing homes every week. I looked at the alternative budget of Sinn Féin and its plans for housing, the signature proposal it talks about. Senator Warfield was speaking about needing to get a grip with homes. Sinn Féin needs to get a grip with its figures because it said in its alternative budget that it would deliver 3,700 additional homes for €929 million and that would average a cost of €251,000 per home, despite the fact that Deputy Ó Broin was given the figures from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage that said that building a new social home costs €303,000. That is a €200 million hole in Sinn Féin's finances but sure what is a quarter of a billion euro when you are throwing money around anyway? However, Sinn Féin does not know how to pay for it. Its figures do not add up.

On a lighter note, on a day when Ireland was officially announced as the hosts, with the UK, of the UEFA European Football Championship, I welcome the commitment by the Minister for Finance to use the tax system to benefit sport. One way to do so would be to raise the betting levy by 1% and fund additional sports from that fund, beyond horse racing and greyhound racing.

I want to mention childcare. I want to praise the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, for the work he has done in that sector. He has delivered on the 25% additional cuts to childcare costs, raising it to half in total and reinforcing core funding. Sinn Féin said this year that it would spend €270 million on childcare but we spent €346 million. We outspent what Sinn Féin called for by €76 million. That is real delivery and those are real figures. Maybe some time Sinn Féin will read that and recognise what delivering in Government means.