Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I call the first speaker for this debate, an Seanadóir Davitt.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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I too acknowledge the ambassador and her team. I hope they have a happy and peaceful Christmas. To reciprocate with the Cathaoirleach, I wish him, his team, the Leas-Chathaoirleach and all the team here in the Seanad a happy Christmas and hopefully a prosperous new year. It has been a great year for the Cathaoirleach to be in the Chair. I congratulate him on the all the good work he and his team have done during the year. Well done.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for all her help and co-operation throughout the year as well.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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I am delighted to be able to welcome our Minister back to the soothing House of the Seanad. There is a nice, easy-going pace here in the Seanad. It is great to have him here in calm surroundings. We do not get to meet in calm surroundings too often, so it is quite nice.

In regard to the Minister - I am not going to dwell too long - I would like to put on record that, certainly from my point of view and experience, he is one of the hardest-working Ministers here. Any time you want him or, more important, want him to make a decision, he will make it. He is not always going to kick the ball back to you but at least he will play the game anyway, in fairness to him. I find him very fair and just and I thank him for his effort in his Ministry, and his staff. It does not go unnoticed.

This Bill is primary legislation, as we know. It comes before us at this time of year and it is the oil that greases the mechanics of our public expenditure. The Minister has gone through in detail all of the expenditure that this legislation facilitates. I would certainly like to commend this Bill to the House and I thank the Minister for his good work.

Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I join in thanking the Leas-Chathaoirleach, the Cathaoirleach and all the staff here in the Seanad. This is my first Christmas as a Senator and I have very much enjoyed the experience so far. I appreciate the work that has been put in in facilitating that. I join with colleagues in wishing everybody a very happy Christmas.

The Fine Gael Party will be supporting this legislation and I do not propose to reiterate the statements on public expenditure that we had in this House only a short few weeks ago.We will be supporting the Bill for the reasons outlined by the Minister

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome this debate this morning as the Oireachtas rises for the Christmas break. I understand there is a constitutional requirement for this Bill as it legislates for the financial resolutions, which include all the Estimates agreed by the Dáil this year, and Sinn Féin will be supporting it. This Bill is important to ensure the funding of the State’s public administration in 2026 and the various services funded by each Department and each agency within these Departments. It also enables the continuation of the State’s social protection programmes which many vulnerable families and individuals rely on. For many years, there was no debate on these Bills. It is welcome and important that we are now debating this particular Bill because there is a serious aspect to it. The spending of these funds will be key to tackling the big issues of the day.

In Dublin Bay South, the lack of access to housing remains the perennial number one issue. For the families I work with, it is a travesty that the Government has missed its own housing targets time after time, particularly in social housing and new build housing overall. This has real-life consequences, not just for the adults trying so hard to provide a safe and decent place for their families to grow up in, but for the countless children who understand and feel the housing stress their parents are under. It is hard to have a normal Christmas in a hotel room, and the Department of housing’s monthly homelessness reports consistently show thousands of children in emergency accommodation and hundreds of families without long-term housing solutions. It is my strong desire that in a united Ireland we will have a new constitution and a right to housing centrally placed within it. Housing should not only be a commodity to be bought and sold, traded and hoarded. If we had a real republic, we would ensure our citizens lived in dignity. Access to housing is a key measure of how the State provides for its people, or not, as is the current case.

I also wish to raise issues relating to the development of the Irish Glass Bottle factory site where there will soon be an influx of thousands of new residents. I very much welcome this, of course. However, it is so shortsighted of the Government to plough on with the development despite the significant infrastructural deficits – no Luas extension, no new sports facilities and no recreation centres. The parks are in darkness after 6 p.m. Traffic volume has also increased. These are safety issues as well as quality of life issues. I urge the Government to address them.

I also raise the situation of tenants of Dublin City Council who have had their rents increased by up to 50% in some cases. This is despite the fact that many tenants are living in damp and unsuitable properties with constant maintenance issues as well as water supply issues. It is not good enough for Dublin City Council to increase rent while it does not ensure that tenants have their maintenance and water needs met. I urge the Government to finally take this issue seriously in the new year.

On a more positive note, I wish the Minister a happy Christmas.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister and wish him a happy Christmas and thank him for this work throughout the year. I also thank the Seanad staff and everyone who works in these Houses for their work keeping the place running, from ushers to catering staff and everyone else.

This Bill sets out the expenditure for the coming year. It is interesting to run through it and see the amount of work this State does and the role it has. I want to mention two areas. One relates to Vote 31 and the Department of Transport. The Minister is a supporter of the ring road in Galway city. I know that is capital expenditure, but I hope we get a positive decision from An Coimisiún Pleanála early next year and we can see that project going through to construction at the earliest opportunity. It is vital that this important piece of infrastructure goes ahead.

The second area is the Department of Defence. I welcome the publication of the capital plan in relation to defence, but we have to start investing in our Defence Forces to ensure we have the basics that we need to provide security. Unfortunately, recent events cast doubt on our ability to do that. We need to ramp up investment in defence, both in current and capital funding, to ensure we have those resources so that we have a Defence Forces that can provide the minimum of defence for this nation.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I echo what everyone else has said and wish everyone a happy Christmas. I thank all of the staff in the Houses of the Oireachtas who do an incredible job. They work long hours and nights. I hope everyone has a fantastic break. To echo Senator Davitt, it is always enjoyable to come into this House. The soothing atmosphere in this House is always welcome compared with other debates we have, inside and outside. I thank the Members for their support today.

In response to Senator Andrews's contribution, the housing budget next year is in excess of €11 billion. It has been the big priority in the review of the national development plan. I share with him the ambition to not only build more social and affordable homes but also to have the social infrastructure to underpin that in terms of schools, etc. A new sports capital programme opens next year, and the wider transport infrastructure programme has been allocated €24 billion for the next five years. It is the biggest investment in transport infrastructure in the history of the State. It is hugely important for connectivity but also for improving the day-to-day living experiences of so many people.

We all share Senator Kyne’s focus on the ring road in Galway. I know the frustration that is felt in Galway around the delays to the project. I hope there will be a positive decision on that. If there is, we then have to get on with getting it built. It is hugely important for the west. When it comes to defence, our greater ambition is set out in the capital plan for the Department of Defence that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, published last week.

This is important legislation that will allow us to continue to fund the basic functioning of the State for the start of 2026. We appreciate the support of all Members.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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Now.