Cian O'Callaghan
Dublin Bay North · Social Democrats · Ireland
“Unification presents distinct challenges that need to be carefully planned for and managed. The analysis done by Professor Doyle shows that the cost of pensions would be unlikely to transfer to a united Ireland straight away. Following Brexit, the UK and Ireland signed a bilateral convention on social security in 2019.”
“Ireland spends less than that defending a much larger territory and has decades of underinvestment to catch up on. We need increased investment, particularly in systems and technologies, including sonar and air surveillance radar.”
“I welcome this important discussion on the topic of Irish unity and its fiscal implications. It deserves analysis and fundamentally respect for the people, who will ultimately decide the future of this island. There are real challenges in any transition to unity but there are also very significant opportunities.”
“These are highly skilled jobs with union representation and apprenticeship programmes. They are of fundamental importance to the local economy and community. They should never have been left exposed in this way.”
“The Tánaiste must surely know that these exports are feeding Putin's war machine. Does he not think it is unusual that Ireland is one of the very few European countries where our exports to Russia have increased since Russia invaded Ukraine? That has been driven by the exports of alumina that have more than doubled.”
“We know from the investigation carried out by The Irish Times and the organised crime and corruption reporting project that alumina from Ireland is ending up in Russian owned smelters in Krasnoyarsk. Krasnoyarsk is Russia's only smelter producing high purity aluminium.”
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“To be fair, I cannot imagine they ever envisaged such a situation, ever signed up for it or would have ever have supported it. Why are we now in a situation where that is exactly what is happening? They voted through a budget that cuts the income of disabled people by €1,400. When there is a modest proposal for an emergency winter payment to take some of the pain out of that, for just €400 per person, they do not support that proposal. Why are they doing this? Why will they not now make a stand in support of disabled people who do not want to be in this situation of effectively reaching out to the Government and crying out for this emergency winter payment measure? They want to be able to participate fully in Irish society, the same as anybody else. They do not want to be in this situation.”
“I am glad the Minister clarified that. However, his comments are nonetheless very disturbing. They do not show a knowledge of the realities that are faced by disabled people due to the Government's decision to cut the incomes of disabled people by €1,400 in the budget. That is an absolutely unforgivable decision on any scale and is utterly unnecessary at a time when we have a budget surplus running into billions of euro. It was a cruel and heartless decision. I have a question for every Government Minister and backbench TD. When they got involved in politics and first ran for elected office, did they ever envisage a time when they would be part of a Government with billions of euro in budget surpluses that would cut the incomes of disabled people by €1,400?”
“I thank everyone who contributed to the discussion and my colleagues, Deputies Quaide and Hayes, for bringing forward the motion and all the work they did on it. I first want to address the very serious comments made by the Minister, Deputy Calleary, earlier on. He said he did not want a misleading or dangerous message going out that people must choose between food and heating. These comments show how grossly out of touch with reality the Minister is. It is very disturbing that he does not realise what is actually going on. Indeed, the comments he made afterwards that he is going to get his Department to get onto the disability organisations that are talking about the reality faced by disabled people to try to get them to change what they are saying is-----”
“I recently met the president of the European Court of Auditors who made the point that significant risks are being backed by Europe with the taking on of additional responsibilities without the funding mechanisms being put in place. We will be supporting the amendment put down by Sinn Féin to this motion. I hope the concerns I raised will be addressed by the Minister of State.”
“However, what is happening at a European Union level with taking on these additional responsibilities and mutualising debt is that we are not seeing it matched by any plans for revenue raising or funding streams to back it in the long term. In one sense, taking on these additional responsibilities is necessary and the right thing to do. However, if there is no plan for how they will be funded in years to come, we are simply setting up a bigger problem that will have to be faced and that has to be addressed. Clearly, this is a challenge politically across Europe because there is no appetite among political leaders to do that. That is a clear challenge that needs to be addressed.”
“While it is being backed up with the frozen Russian assets, there are real risks for the repayment of this in terms of any future peace deals and what the arrangements may be with the different international actors brokering them. There is also an issue with the mutualisation of debt. This is a wider issue. We are seeing the European Union going full steam ahead in mutualising debt and taking on these responsibilities. We very much hope there will be a peace deal for Ukraine. If there is, the European Union will take on significant responsibilities in helping Ukraine to get back on its feet and that will involve significant financial commitments. All that is necessary and we will support it.”
“There is no evidence from the Irish Government to date that any attempt was made to do that or to have two financing streams, one a broader stream that non-neutral countries could back and support and the other a tighter financing stream for neutral countries like Ireland so we could be explicitly sure that every cent we contribute and any guarantees of loans we contribute are entirely in line with our objectives as a neutral country. I ask for that to be addressed by the Minister. I want an explanation for why that did not happen and was not sought. There are broader issues with this loan facility. There are risks such as whether it will ever be repaid.”
“It is very clear that if there is a failure to provide practical support and financing for Ukraine, then not only will that lead to a collapse in the services the Ukrainian state provides but it also will very much play into the hands of Putin, and that would have all sorts of repercussions throughout Europe if it happens. That said, the loan facility being proposed provides a number of challenges for Ireland as a neutral country. We want to provide practical support to the people of Ukraine. As a neutral country, we do not provide military support. It is the view of the Social Democrats that the loan should have been constructed in such a way as would specifically facilitate neutral countries like Ireland, making it explicitly clear that our contribution is to be used to finance civilian aid only.”
“We in the Social Democrats fully support the ordinary people of Ukraine who have suffered horrendously over the past four years of this war. It is clear there needs to be practical support for the Ukrainian people and without that they and the Ukrainian state cannot continue to provide basic services and civilian infrastructure while defending themselves. The European Union attempt to use the frozen Russian assets could not get over the line at the European Council meeting, which is why we are now in this situation with this loan.”
“On behalf of the Social Democrats, I express our continued solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The horrific bombardment of civilians and civilian infrastructure by Putin and his forces over the past four years has been utterly reprehensible, as has been the abduction of children. The ordinary people of Ukraine are suffering day by day because of this needless war, whether that is the loss of life, the disruption of lives, the maiming of lives and people being cut off from power and heat in the depths of winter. It is clear Putin and Russia are not just targeting military targets but that this is an ongoing attack against civilians and civilian infrastructure. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian people on that. It is clear Putin’s aggression has to be stopped.”
“This is some of the most important work anyone could do and it is being massively undervalued. The way the workers are being treated is a disgrace. Will the Minister for Health meet the group of workers, and will the Government act to ensure they are paid a fair wage, which they deserve?”
“I welcome to the Gallery healthcare assistants from Northside Home Care. They are workers who do incredibly important work. They work antisocial hours, on evenings and weekends. Many of them worked on Christmas Day and despite their Trojan work for our elderly, they receive only the minimum wage or just above it. Their pay levels are effectively below what they were paid in 2009. They received pay cuts then and have never received pay restoration. They have been excluded from a pay increase for the social, community and voluntary sector. They are being paid far less than healthcare assistants who are employed directly by the HSE, yet they do the same work. This has forced this group of workers to go on strike. These workers look after our loved ones in our communities, helping people to stay in their homes and out of hospital.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Tánaiste. The stated position, therefore, of the Government on Trump's so-called Board of Peace is that it is considering its response. That has been the stated position up to now. Will the Tánaiste rule out, unequivocally and categorically, that Ireland will not be involved in any shape or form with this travesty Trump is putting forward? Will he do that and do that now? That is what I am asking him to do. Let us not have any ambiguity about it. The Tánaiste should say on behalf of the Irish Government we will have no involvement whatsoever in this travesty and rule it out categorically. On the occupied territories Bill, the Tánaiste promised this Dáil a number of months ago the Bill would be brought to the House by the end of November last year but it still has not happened.”
“We need to stand firm against Trump as he seeks to legitimise war criminals. Will the Tánaiste categorically rule out any involvement in Trump's so-called Board of Peace? Does this Government have any intention of enacting the occupied territories Bill?”
“On Sunday the Taoiseach strongly hinted the occupied territories Bill was dead in the water. He defended the inexcusable delay in enacting this supposedly priority legislation. He effectively ruled out services being included in the Bill if it moves forward and he stressed the Government was pivoting more to the peace process approach in Gaza citing, incredibly, the creation of Trump's Board of Peace. The Taoiseach also highlighted our continued support for the UN and UNRWA, which I strongly agree with. However, this week the Israeli Government razed an UNRWA facility to the ground in the occupied territories. This was an utterly outrageous act. Israel is still murdering Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank with complete impunity. Donald Trump is trying to herald in a new era of chaos, division and adversity.”
“As more and more concerning details emerge about Trump's Board of Peace one thing is clear, which is that this has little to do with peace in Gaza and everything to do with destroying the UN and making the world less secure and safe. For that reason a number of European countries have already said they will not be signing up. Among their number are Sweden, Norway, France, Slovenia and now the UK but incredibly the Tánaiste's Government is still apparently mulling over whether or not it should sign up. This begs the question of whether there is any outrage perpetrated by Trump that the Government is willing to take a strong and principled stand on. The Tánaiste's Government's failure to rule out joining Trump's gang of war criminals is just the latest example of failing to live up to its words.”
“Donald Trump's Board of Peace was billed as a body that would oversee governance and reconstruction in Gaza. However, its proposed charter does not even mention Gaza. Instead it gives a broad mandate to resolve global conflicts. Given the list of people who have signalled they will join it is clear the outfit should be renamed the board of autocrats and war criminals. Included in their number are Netanyahu, Putin and Lukashenko. To highlight the absurdity of this travesty, Netanyahu is unable to attend a signing ceremony for the Board of Peace today because as an indicted war criminal he fears being arrested if he turns up in Davos.”
“The handling by An Garda Síochána of a domestic violence complaint against Garda Trevor Bolger is hugely concerning. His ex-wife and victim, Margaret Loftus, had to compile her own case file and fight for the case to be taken seriously. Furthermore, it has now been revealed that a Garda investigation was launched into journalists reporting on the case. Having dragged its heels investigating Bolger, no such hesitation was shown in investigating journalists. This is disturbing. The Minister for justice should make a statement in the Dáil on this.”
“It is utterly unjustifiable at a time when there are billions of euro in budget surpluses. The Government could afford to do this. It would be fiscally sustainable. The Government's decision is cruel and regressive. I will ask the Taoiseach again. Will the Government now introduce an emergency payment for disabled people? They are asking the Government to do this. It needs to happen now. They cannot wait any longer.”
“Does the Taoiseach recognise that disabled people are €1,400 worse off as a result of the budget and the decisions the Government made? Can he imagine what it would be like not to be able to leave your home because you cannot afford to charge your electric wheelchair or mobility aid? There are people in that situation now because the Government took away income supports and did not replace them. Of course, income supports should be permanent, not once off - there is no disagreement on that - but to take €1,400 off disabled people, not replace it and just have promises of future actions does not work for people who are forced to stay at home now because they cannot get out of their homes as they cannot charge their mobility aids or electric wheelchairs. That is the result of decisions the Government has made.”
“People with disabilities just want to live full and independent lives but Government decisions are pushing more and more people into poverty. The Government loudly claims that it wants to target resources to those who need it most while at the same time quietly cutting the incomes of the most vulnerable. It is wrong, it is reprehensible and it can and must be addressed.”
“This is the reality for the tens of thousands of disabled people all over the country who feel targeted and attacked by the Taoiseach's Government. They are among the most vulnerable and most at risk of poverty in our society. They face enormous additional costs running into thousands of euro every year because they have disabilities. This Government, instead of supporting them, has cut their incomes. The only thing it has to offer are platitudes. We are told a cost of disability payment is now a priority for the forthcoming budget, but if the Government acknowledges the very real costs and the need for such a payment, why did it cut the incomes of disabled people so dramatically in the budget? What does the Taoiseach expect disabled people to live on? Fresh air and broken promises?”
“The decision by the Taoiseach's Government, which slashed incomes for disabled people by up to €1,400, is cruel and regressive. This is what disabled people have had to say about these budget cuts. Saoirse said: I am in pain constantly and I have to pay for physiotherapy because the community physiotherapy lists were too long. The physio appointments cost me €75 per session." Gary said the only way he could feed himself was to buy food that was going out of date and reduced, cook it off and freeze it. He goes on to describe his choices as being between eating and being cold or being in the dark. Another disabled person told us that, after Christmas, they were now faced with a €500 electricity bill and they did not know how they would pay it.”
“I wish to begin by welcoming a number of representatives from different disability organisations who are in the Public Gallery with us today. I thank them for the strong and powerful contributions they just made in a briefing for all Oireachtas Members in the audiovisual room. They told us about the extreme hardship being faced by many disabled people. We heard about people who had had to stop getting their dialysis at home because they could no longer afford the electricity bills. This has a huge impact on their quality of life and well-being. We heard about people being forced to choose between heating their home and charging their electric wheelchairs and mobility aids, trapped now all winter because they cannot afford to charge their electric wheelchairs and being robbed of their independence.”
“The decision by Paschal Donohoe last April to give €10 million in additional funding over and beyond what was initially recommended by his officials to the World Bank raises a number of questions about what his intentions were at the time and whether he was aware that he would be taking up a senior role in the World Bank later in the year. The Minister for Finance, Tánaiste and leader of Fine Gael, Simon Harris, should come into the Dáil and answer questions on this.”
“Not having researched or analysed it in advance is a major flaw and the Parliamentary Budget Office has called it out on that. Why did the Government not do that? When making these kinds of decisions in future, will the Government commit to do the proper analysis in advance and tie the measures in with affordability which is best practice in other European countries?”
“As the Tánaiste has said, a political decision was made. We know that there was intense lobbying from the sector for that decision to be made. It appears that there was not any actual research or analysis done in advance on these tax measures by the Department. The Tánaiste is not aware of any and none has been published. The SCSI report that he referenced shows only the top 20% of earners can actually afford to rent an apartment. Not doing that analysis, not doing that research and not tying these measures in with affordability is an absolute flaw. We are surrounded by countries where when they make these kinds of investments and measures, they make housing more affordable. The Government is pursuing policies that increase supply but do not increase affordability. That is a major flaw in what it is doing.”
“In other countries when there are such massive public subsidies put into different types of housing, it is linked specifically to affordability - it makes housing more affordable. The Government decided not to do that. One of the main reports the Minister cited was something that was published post budget. Did the Government carry out research about these tax measures and if so, will the Minister publish it and share it with us?”
“I am aware that there have been reports on housing, viability, financing and so forth and that there has been research in the area; that was not my question. My question was on the tax measures that were introduced by Government and by the Minister's predecessor as Minister for Finance in the budget on property. What research or analysis was done before those tax measures were decided on? The Parliamentary Budget Office, which is independent, has been highly critical of the Government for introducing measures like that and not producing any evidence, analysis or research to back them up, especially given the damage that has been done in the past with similar measures.”
“I thank the Chair. I have never been grouped with myself before. Má chaitheann muid ár súil siar, we will recall that huge economic damage was done by property tax reliefs that were not well designed or indeed well researched. In relation to recently introduced property tax relief measures, what research and analysis was done in advance? Will the Minister publish that research and analysis and share it with us?”
“Of course interest rates have fallen in the past year. The European interest rates have fallen. Why on earth would they not? The issue is that we have record bank profits and Irish mortgage holders are being over-charged in interest rates compared with other countries. I gave the example of the UK. The spreads in Ireland are more than three times higher than those in the UK. Does the Tánaiste find that acceptable? Is he going to do anything about it? He is simply talking about more banking competition. That has been said by Ministers for Finance in this Chamber over many years, but we are in the situation that people are being ripped off now. Is the Tánaiste going to do something about it or does he find it acceptable?”
“Irish banks are making huge profits from charging high interest rates on mortgages. Research by RBC Capital Markets shows that Irish banks are making more than three times as much on mortgages as UK banks by charging higher interest rates. It is the last thing people who are struggling to buy a home need. At the same time, profit levels in Irish banks are at a record high. AIB and Bank of Ireland last year made a combined profit of almost €5 billion and these same banks paid virtually no taxes on these profits. Does the Tánaiste think it is acceptable that Irish banks are making huge profits off the backs of mortgage holders? Does he see that there is a serious problem? Will he do anything to end this rip-off?”
“There is a significant problem with Irish banks charging very high interest rates to mortgage holders, especially in comparison with UK banks and the spreads in the UK, while at the same garnering record profits. What is the Tánaiste doing about this? Cad atá ar siúl?”
“There will be more children spending Christmas in homeless emergency accommodation this year than ever before in the history of the State. When Fine Gael entered office, there were 641 children in homeless emergency accommodation. That was too high. There are now 5,247 children who will spend this Christmas without a home. This has a detrimental impact on each and every child involved. It can often mean missing key developmental milestones. Yet, the Tánaiste did not even acknowledge the damage homelessness does to children. I ask him to acknowledge the damage being done by his Government to children in homelessness. Does he not see that damage? Next year, will the number of children in homeless emergency accommodation grow even further, to record levels again, or will the Government reverse the trend?”
“It limits the lives and ambitions of countless people all over the country who feel trapped, anxious and hopeless. That is your record on housing. The Government's list of broken promises does not end there. You promised to deliver a roadmap to reduce childcare fees to €200 a month in your first 100 days of office. Nearly a year in, we got a half-baked plan from the Minister yesterday that gives no indication about when fees will come down to €200 - another broken promise. Despite promises to prioritise disability, you deliberately made disabled people poorer and slashed their incomes by up to €1,400 - yet another broken promise. Do you regret making all of these promises to the public and breaking them?”
“This is a Government that thinks nothing of breaking its promises like its pre-election pledge that 40,000 homes would be delivered last year, which evaporated into thin air as soon as the polling stations closed. Today's ESRI report lays bare your continued abject failure on housing. Just 35,000 homes have been delivered this year and 36,000 next year. This is far short of the 50,000 to 60,000 new homes needed each year. This Government's handling of the housing crisis has been an unmitigated disaster. This failure means that the dreams of home ownership of tens of thousands of people have been crushed. It has resulted in thousands more families and children becoming homeless. This has a devastating impact on children. It means toddlers in cramped hotel rooms are delayed in being able to learn how to crawl.”
“Its report card looks especially bleak. This Government is awash with cash and addicted to wasting it. Despite budget surpluses, it still managed to make nearly everyone worse off. The ESRI published a new report which confirms what people can already feel in their pockets - they are paying more for everything with less take-home pay. Disposable incomes of most workers will fall because of this Government's budgetary measures. Please do not tell us the budget helped those who needed it most. That simply is not true. The poorest 10% of workers have seen the biggest decrease in their incomes. The poverty rate among older people has soared to almost 20%. You have made choices to hit people hardest who do not have a single cent to spare.”
“I would like to say fáilte to the British ambassador agus roimh na daltaí freisin. I want to begin by wishing the Tánaiste, his family, all Deputies, people watching at home and all the staff in the Oireachtas, who do very important work, a very happy and peaceful Christmas. I also want to take this opportunity to highlight the plight of Oireachtas broadcast workers who will now be laid off for the Christmas period without pay. This is completely unacceptable treatment of a group of workers who carry out a vital role in our democracy. The broadcast workers should be employed directly by the Oireachtas for performing a key role in our public service. The end of the year is a good time to take stock, celebrate achievements and identify areas for improvement. Regrettably, for this Government, successes are thin on the ground.”
“It could have reduced childcare costs as promised during the election, but that has not happened. It could have lifted 40,000 children out of poverty, but it did not. Instead it chose developers, large landlords and fast-food giants and chose recklessly to narrow our tax base. Once again, it shows that the priorities of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are more concerned with those at the top rather than looking after our long-term economic security. No amount of spin can disguise that. It can be seen. Rinne an Rialtas na roghanna míchearta. Má chaitheann muid súil siar at the mistakes that were made in the past in the run-up to the collapse of the Celtic tiger, we can see those same mistakes being repeated again. Céard atá ar siúl?”
“It shows the Government choosing short-term politics over long-term sustainability and leaves Ireland dangerously exposed to the volatility of corporation tax, the predictable costs of an ageing population, the demands of climate change and the risk of future downturns. If it continues down this path, tomorrow will come with deficits, cutbacks and the public finance system unprepared for these challenges. These decisions were reckless. Government spending this year will be remembered for what it was: a story of bad choices and missed opportunities. The Government could have backed families struggling with energy bills. It could have abolished the means test for carers. It could have introduced a cost-of-disability payment, which was promised in a report in 2021 that has not yet been acted on.”
“The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council told us we are budgeting like there is no tomorrow, the Nevin Economic Research Institute warned that we are channeling the mid-2000s with boom-time budgeting and the ESRI told us we risk overheating and leaving ourselves exposed. The Commission on Taxation and Welfare previously warned that we need to broaden the tax base and yet the Government narrowed it. The PBO told us the reckless tax cuts for hospitality and property developers are fiscally unsustainable, economically unjustified and socially wasteful. These are five different independent bodies with five sets of warnings, all of which were ignored. Budget 2026 shows that the Government was unwilling to listen, plan and prepare with the advice that was given.”
“It condemned the reckless tax cuts for hospitality and property developers and warned that subsidies of €675 million for developers were introduced without any analysis of how they interact with the housing market, whether they are effective or whether they create intended consequences. It warned that giant tax cuts for the hospitality sector were not likely to result in lower prices for consumers but instead would be pocketed by the likes of McDonald's and Domino's. The PBO analysis made it abundantly clear that budget 2026 was built on a weak evidence base with tax expenditures rolled out to the loudest lobby groups rather than meeting the greatest needs in the country. Let us take stock.”
“It urged reforms to PRSI, increases in wealth taxes and a gradual phasing out of reduced VAT rates. Budget 2026 did the opposite. Instead of broadening the tax base, it narrowed it. Reckless VAT cuts were introduced for developers and fast-food chains in direct contradiction of the commission's recommendations. These cuts erode revenues and leave Ireland even more dependent on volatile corporation tax receipts. The commission's message was clear that Ireland's overall level of tax base must grow to meet the challenges of ageing, climate change and debt. Budget 2026 moved in the opposite direction. Finally the PBO was scathing in its assessment of budget 2026.”
“After the budget its analysis was damning. It found that budget 2026 would actually reduce disposable incomes with average losses of 2%. Low-income households were hit hardest, losing 4.1% of disposable income. Low-income households already making choices between heating or eating cannot afford any more cuts to their income. They do not have a single cent to spare. This shows the priorities of this Government and how out of touch it is. Those who are struggling get thrown under the bus while there are tax cuts aplenty for those at the top. The Commission on Taxation and Welfare provided the long-term roadmap. Its report, Foundations for the Future, made one point above all others: Ireland must broaden its tax base. It recommended shifting the balance of taxation away from labour and towards capital and consumption.”
“It warned that if those receipts vanish, Ireland will be left with a massive deficit. It singled out one measure as particularly reckless: the VAT cut for the hospitality sector. In its words, wasting €700 million annually on a low-pay, low-productivity industry was "a breathtakingly feckless waste of resources". It pointed out some of the ways we could have used €700 million. We could have hired 11,000 additional nurses, made public transport free or lifted 50,000 children out of poverty. Instead, it was handed to the loudest lobby group. The ESRI gave similar warnings. In September, it warned that fiscal policy was pro-cyclical, stimulating demand in an economy already at or above capacity. It urged targeted investment in infrastructure bottlenecks and preparation for predictable long-term pressures like climate change and ageing.”
“Strip those out and Ireland is already running a deficit of €7.4 billion in 2025, rising to €13.6 billion in 2026. These windfalls should have been invested in infrastructure projects that will benefit our long-term economic security. Instead, in large part, they were used to cut taxes for developers and fast-food chains. The council's verdict was devastating. On this, it said: "The Government is budgeting like there is no tomorrow." The Nevin Economic Research Institute echoed these warnings. Before the budget, it said that fiscal policy was already running too hot. After the budget, its assessment was blunt. It said: "We are channelling the 2000s with boom-time budgeting for a boom-time economy." It condemned the complacency bred by headline surpluses, which exist only because of corporation tax windfalls.”
“Instead, it has become a case study in how this Government ignores expert advice, dismisses the evidence and gambles recklessly with the future of our public finances. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, the Nevin Economic Research Institute, the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, the Commission on Taxation and Welfare and the Parliamentary Budget Office, PBO, have all, in different ways, issued stark warnings and those warnings were ignored. The fiscal council warned that this Government's budgetary policy was adding fuel to an economic fire. It highlighted that spending growth was rising far above sustainable levels and that repeated budget over-runs were baked into the system. Most damning of all, it showed that our surpluses exist only because of windfall corporation tax receipts from a handful of multinationals.”
“It is remarkable that this Government managed to put together a €9.4 billion budget that leaves the most vulnerable worse off. The Government is spending like there is no tomorrow, according to the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, but there are still well over 5,000 children who will spend Christmas in homeless emergency accommodation. That number has increased month after month since this Government took office. Disabled people have had their incomes cut by up to €1,400. Pensioners are afraid to turn on the heating. There are families struggling to afford the basics at the supermarket, so where exactly are these billions going? They are not being targeted at those who need it most. The budget should have been an opportunity to show foresight, discipline and responsibility.”
“Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam; tá sé sin fíor. It is equally true to say that a city without arts and culture spaces is a city without a soul. I join others in urging the Government to intervene in regard to The Complex arts centre. It is really important that we do not continue to have arts and artists being pushed out of Dublin city. We need more, not fewer, arts and community spaces and spaces for culture, and we need more creativity in the city to have a happy, thriving city. This Bill is a constitutional requirement that is necessary to keep our public services running and keep the show on the road. It presents a good opportunity to scrutinise Government spending and take stock of what we should be doing better.”
“Those are not my words; they are the words of the Disability Federation of Ireland. Will the Tánaiste listen to disabled people? Will the Government introduce an emergency winter payment, which is needed now? When will it end the talk that has been going on for years about a cost-of-disability payment? When will it actually introduce it?”