Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Troy, go dtí an díospóireacht tábhachtach seo ar an mbúiséad agus ar an todhchaí.

The measure of a good budget must surely be the degree to which it is strategically sound for the medium- and long-term future and the degree to which it works to achieve a fair, cohesive society, prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable. This budget goes a long way to achieving those objectives. Budget 2026 is worth €9.4 billion, of which €8.1 billion is in spending and €1.3 billion is in tax measures. It increases spending by 7% while maintaining a surplus as outlined by the Minister of State. This is building on our success in restoring the economy after the property crash, maintaining employment in the face of the savage pandemic and cushioning our people in the face of the inflationary spiral caused by the illegal invasion of Ukraine.

I will first address capital spending in this budget, which boosts productive capacity in the economy, which is crucial. The greatest challenge confronting our people at the moment is housing. Apart from its obvious impact on young people and their dreams, it has implications for inward investment, maintaining employment and social cohesion. This budget allocates total capital funding for housing of €5.2 billion. This will be used to develop 25,000 new homes through public housing and starter home initiatives. This will involve a €205 million new housing activation fund to support the housing activation office and €2.5 billion for water services, which is crucial. A great example known to my colleague, Senator Tully, and me is that in Virginia, County Cavan - one of the most beautiful towns in Ireland, which is crying out for housing - the absence of a satisfactory wastewater treatment plant has literally stopped any housing being developed for the past five years. That is thankfully in production. This is why the €2.5 billion for water services is crucial. The VAT reduction for apartment building is similarly important to get the necessary apartments built, which often constitute starter homes for young people.

If housing is a glaring current need, demographic change and social pressure make capital and current spending in health crucial. This budget provides for 555 new beds across hospital and community services, an additional 3,400 medical staff, 1.7 million additional home support hours, €8.9 million for a national cancer programme and 500 additional nursing home places, reforming the health services. An additional €6.8 million in this budget will be spent on disability services, which is an extra 20%. There is a crying need for that. The cry has been well orchestrated by many, including me, over the years. That is important.

There will be a €64 million increase for the national childcare scheme, which is important for early childhood education and support for childcare in general. There will be 1,770 more SNAs in our schools next year. What an advance that is. There will be 860 additional special needs teachers. They are a great vehicle to achieve equality in society, an equal chance and a fairer society.

There is an important fund to boost infrastructure, creating productive capacity across all areas. This budget achieves that.

Turning to the area of fairness, social cohesion and building an egalitarian society, as a member of the labour panel and a representative nominated by ICTU, I am happy there will be a 65 cent increase in the minimum wage, bringing it up to €14.15, at the top of Europe. As was explained by Senator Casey, the requisite taxation measures have been taken to ensure that has an effect and that it is a real increase.

Also in the area of social cohesion and fairness and creating a proper equal society, there will be a €10 across the board increase in welfare payments. Critically, Senator Casey said that Fianna Fáil advocated for this. My party colleagues and I know this; I am a strong advocate, as are all the colleagues behind me in the parliamentary party. In fact we want ultimately the removal of the means test because it is efficacious to keep people in their homes for every reason, if that is where they want to be. There is an economic imperative to do it, a social imperative and a whole lot of reasons. There is no need to insult an intelligent audience by going through those. Suffice to say, this budget will allow single people who earn up to €1,000 per week to get the carer's allowance and a couple or family of any description who earn up to €2,000 per week. That is crucial. The expansion of access to the carer's allowance is an important social reform.

Ireland is fundamentally an agricultural society. It has transformed over the years, but it is at the base. I had a wonderful morning at an open day in Lakeland Dairies at Bailieborough, County Cavan this morning where huge work is being done creating exports and jobs. We need a farming hinterland to keep that food production industry going. It is important we achieve succession in farming. For that reason, the various schemes and tax initiatives that allow succession planning in farming are being kept in place until 2029 by this budget. Critically, there is an additional €85 million for TB eradication in this budget. That is important.

We have €33 million for the broadband scheme. The broadband plan is one of the great successes of contemporary Ireland, facilitating home working, digital hubs and so on.

The budget is strategically well structured. It is based on sound principles of giving the economy productive capacity and, at the same time, achieving social fairness and working towards a fairer society. There are a lot more elements of the budget than I can address in an eight-minute speech. I will leave it there for now. We will come back to it on other occasions.