Mairéad Farrell
Galway West · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“Working people, whether unionist, nationalist or other, have been failed by partition because at the end of the day, a Westminster Parliament is making decisions on behalf of their communities. Irish unity has really got the potential to deliver for all of our communities, including those communities.”
“Is í an cheist ná céard go díreach atá chun tarlú anois. Cad iad na chéad céimeanna eile? Thug mé cuairt ar an scoil Dé hAoine seo chaite agus chonaic mé nach bhfuil go leor spáis inti. Tá sé le feiceáil go soiléir go bhfuil na ranganna riachtanais speisialta agus, ar ndóigh, an seomra ranga breise ag teastáil go géar.”
“Ar mhaithe le soiléiriú iomlán, ón méid a thuigim, bhí maoiniú curtha ar fáil don tionscnamh seo. Is léir go bhfuil sé seo ag teastáil. Cuirfidh mé chomhthéacs air seo. Is scoil bheag í seo i mBéal an Daingin, ach is scoil láidir í. Tagann daoine ó cheantair éagsúla chun a gcuid páistí a chur chuig an scoil seo.”
“I really welcome the decision by the Tánaiste and the Government to have these statements on the fiscal implications of a united Ireland. It is crucial that we continue with debates of this type.”
“That needs to change in the context of this debate because we are talking about a new and united Ireland that will include a new and different perspective on the opportunities that we see for us all from an economic perspective when it comes to a united Ireland When we are planning for this, we need to look at that in terms of the economi…”
“Without proper planning and preparation for Irish unity, we completely and utterly risk missing this seismic opportunity we have to create a new economy and seize this historic opportunity. It is absolutely essential that we begin preparations now.”
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“The Minister is relatively new in the role as the Minister for foreign affairs. I am really concerned about the route she is going down on a number of issues. This week is outlining the Minister' policy position in terms of the Department of foreign affairs. The Government is looking to dismantle the triple lock, totally against the wishes of people. That is the dismantling of our neutrality. Now, the Government is looking at completely and utterly hallowing out the occupied territories Bill by excluding services from that Bill. Again, it is going completely and utterly against the wishes of the people. There are other governments and states that do not have the people on their side when it comes to Palestine or when it comes to passing the likes of the occupied territories Bill and including services. However, the Government does.”
“At the same time we have the Government telling us that it wants to go further in its militarisation agenda and it wants to go further in supporting the security action for Europe, SAFE, programme, about which the finance committee of this Dáil raised serious concerns. There is a serious question about where this Government's policies and interests lie because they do not lie with those working people, they do not lie with pensioners and they do not lie with those people who are €1,400 worse off as a result of the budget of last year. It is the people with disabilities who have said to the Government that enough is enough. They do not have the money to meet their daily needs but instead there seems to be enough money for militarisation and enough money to want the SAFE programme to go even further and to include Britain in that.”
“The cornerstone of our foreign policy has always been our neutrality and this Government is taking a wrecking ball to it. The shift towards militarisation and away from neutrality that is being pursued by this Government is an expensive and dangerous agenda that does nothing to serve the interests of the working people. Our national security relies on our neutrality. To think that today we are talking about not having the money to support working people who are unable to put food on the table and who are unable to meet the electricity bills they have - people who are thinking about whether they have the finance to pay energy bills if they put their electricity on and put their heating on.”
“The committee stated that it completely opposed the use of the EU general budget as a guarantee for these loans. However, the Minister's comments suggest that she is much more worried about impressing our friends in the EU than about listening to the concerns of the cross-party Oireachtas finance committee. Unbelievably, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, went even further in her comments. She went on to say that Britain should have been included in the security action for Europe programme, indicating, again, that she was not listening to the Oireachtas finance committee. It is shocking that a Government Minister wants Irish taxpayers' money to guarantee loans for British military spending that is being used to support Israel and the US as they commit genocide in Gaza.”
“Energy poverty exists because of the Government's political decisions, not because we do not have enough money to put an end to it. It exists because the Government has no ambition to end it. It has become more and more clear that the Government's ambitions lie elsewhere. Last week the Minister for foreign affairs, Deputy McEntee, told reporters that she is really ambitious for our country. She spoke of spending more on militarisation when discussing the EU's security action for Europe programme. She said that we should have taken out an EU loan at the taxpayers' expense to increase our military spending. The Oireachtas finance committee thoroughly scrutinised the security action for Europe programme and identified that it potentially conflicts with our neutrality and is incompatible with the EU's commitment to peace.”
“Instead, it is a reluctant suite of half measures that fail to tackle the reality of the energy poverty that, tragically, is widespread across this State. This problem cannot be solved by energy credits alone. We need a crackdown on energy companies to end these rip-off prices once and for all. Electricity and gas are natural monopolies. This market cannot be left to its own devices. The laissez-faire approach of this Government is exactly what has created the rip off in the first place. To have affordable energy we need regulation. We need an energy regulator with the powers to tackle price gouging and a mandate to ensure affordability. This legislation does nothing to recognise energy poverty. There is a not a single cent allocated to reducing the price of home heating oil which has surged by over 80% in the past year.”
“They have been allowed to hedge prices up and up, insulating their profits from any global shocks without the smallest regard for the bills that land on the kitchen tables of workers, pensioners, students and parents who are all finding it increasingly hard to get by. For weeks we have called on the Government to introduce an emergency cost-of-living budget, with energy credits to help thousands with these rip-off prices. The Government has ignored us and our demands. This legislation is testament to the Government's approach, which is to choose delay over action. It is too late and not enough. This legislation should include energy credits of €400, cuts to the USC to put €500 back in workers' pockets and targeted supports, including a €500 payment for people with disabilities.”
“We know that our energy prices, which used to be the lowest in the EU, are now the highest among all EU states. They are not just marginally higher but a shocking 52% higher than the average EU country. What do these rogue energy companies want now? They want to hike both electricity and gas prices by over double the rate of inflation. When will this Government wake up to the realities that people are facing? When is enough? When will the Government act? What the Government is doing now is sitting on its hands and overseeing a system that protects profits over people. There is no protection for children living in cold homes, for working people who cannot afford a hot shower in the morning or for the 300,000 people already in energy arrears. The only thing that is protected is the profits of energy companies.”
“Fuel support measures are so desperately needed, not only because of this recent spike in energy prices but because the Government has let the cost of living spiral out of control for the last five years. In just three weeks, over 1 million households who get their energy from Electric Ireland will see their energy bills skyrocket. The biggest energy provider in the State is hiking up gas prices by 7.7% and electricity prices by 8%. What does this legislation do for them? Energy companies have been given free rein. The Government needs to call this out for what it is, namely price gouging by a few big energy companies. We know that these big energy companies are already selling energy to households at three times the wholesale cost.”
“They need the Government to finally step up and end the rip off. This legislation is an admission that the Government's own policies are failing. If carbon taxes worked, the Government would not have to delay the planned increases to them. By delaying them, the Government is acknowledging the obvious, that alternatives to carbon-intensive fuels do not exist for many people. A pause in carbon tax increases is needed because rural people have no alternative to using home heating oil and travelling in petrol cars. It is incredibly unfair that these people continue to face artificially inflated energy prices that are pushing many of them into fuel poverty.”
“This legislation is a suite of reluctant half-measures, a package that does not meet the challenge of high fuel prices. Once this legislation is enacted petrol, diesel and home heating oil will continue to be unaffordable for hundreds of thousands of people and that is just not good enough. We know that it is not just the cost of fuel that people are struggling with. A package to reduce the cost of fuel is so desperately needed because the Government has let the cost of living spiral out of control for the past five years. There are thousands of working people who cannot make ends meet and who do not have a cent in savings. There are thousands of families who are slipping into debt because they just cannot cover their rent, grocery and energy bills every single month. These people desperately need a break.”
“Is the Minister aware of how many former Ministers are in that 17%? My God, this has to undermine public trust and public confidence. If anybody is overpaid anything, they are pursued with legal letters and threatening letters when these things happen through no fault of their own. They are pursued very quickly and in a very difficult way for many people who are not used to dealing with this. We are talking about people who were in a position of power, making decisions over other people’s lives, who now feel they are a class to themselves, and who feel they do not need to engage in the recouping of this money. I understand that the Minister is not aware of each individual case, and that it is done in an independent way. However, can the Minister tell us how many people are involved?”
“To be honest, I assumed the Minister was going to tell me that they had all engaged in a repayment plan. Am I correct that 17% have not engaged in a recoupment plan? I have raised this with the Minister numerous times, and I know he is in agreement with me. However, it is outrageous that 17% would not engage in a recoupment plan. This is a time when, as we were just discussing, people are struggling to make ends meet. Ordinary workers who go out and work every day of their lives cannot pay their bills or their rent. We now have a situation where former Ministers did not engage in a recoupment plan to pay money back into the State coffers, when they know this is the middle of a cost of living crisis and they know they were not due this money. We have been talking about this for months on end. I find it shocking.”
“The public paid nearly €7,000 for this trip and we have a right to know exactly what sessions the Minister attended, who he met and what he discussed.”
“I did not ask the Minister about his discussions with the US Chamber of Commerce. I asked him specifically about the Bilderberg conference. The focus on militarisation was absolutely clear from the agenda, which included discussions on the transatlantic defence industrial relationship, the Middle East and the future of warfare. As he is the Minister for public expenditure I find it concerning he would foster a close relationship with bosses of military companies, which is not in our national interest. I am concerned about the threat to our neutrality from this Government. The Minister will know there are no minutes or media coverage recording what was discussed in these sessions, so I would like to know what was discussed.”
“During a cost-of-living crisis why on Earth should taxpayers fund that type of trip while still not being aware of exactly what was being discussed?”
“The issue here is that in the spirit of the Bilderberg conference, which is a secretive conference, the Minister has not given me a full breakdown of exactly what he did and what he was discussing. It is only through a freedom of information request we have an insight into what he got up to. We also need to see it in the context of the time. When fuel protestors were out on the streets demanding the Minister's Government intervene just so they could make ends meet he was in Washington DC spending $760 a night of taxpayers' money on a luxury five-star hotel. While working families up and down the State were unable to afford to fill their tanks with fuel he was spending money on business class flights to the tune of thousands of euro and in total the trip cost the taxpayer €6,800.”
“To be clear, the question the Minister received is not the question I was asking. I thank him for the answer, but the issue is that if you look at it in the context of what he is saying here and what is being done, things do not really add up. In January, the Minister said that the Government's massive expenditure on consultancy services was adding cost, delay and significant fragmentation to infrastructure delivery. However, we now hear he is spending €25,000 on a consultancy firm to try to garner public support for his infrastructure plan, all against the backdrop of cutting spending across other Departments. It seems like cuts for everybody except the Minister's Department. If the Minister wants to run an advertising campaign, he should use the policies he has. I do not understand spending €25,000 on a consultancy firm.”
“That was not the question I submitted, but I understand it is what the Minister has been told. I do not know if we should skip this question. I might just ask my question and if the Minister cannot answer it is not on him, which is totally fine. I accept that he was not aware. It is a bit of a mess, like this mess. My question relates to overspends in the Department of education and specifically how this will impact on other Government Departments, including Transport, justice and housing. My concern is that this will leave communities worse off in the long run, which is something we do not want to happen. My core question really concerns what looks likely to be cut. Of what those Departments felt was so important to get funding for on budget day, what is no longer deemed necessary? I am aware the Minister was not aware of the question.”
“Más rud é go dtugtar an chumhacht sin do chomhairle chontae nó do AHB, ar an gcéad dul síos an bhfuil a fhios againn go díreach go mbeidh sé sin i gcomhair tithíocht shóisialta, tithíocht inacmhainne nó tithíocht ar phraghas réasúnta ionas go mbeadh daoine in ann iad a cheannach? Cén cinnteacht a bheadh ann i dtéarmaí cúrsaí teanga? Céard a chiallódh sé do dhaoine le Gaeilge agus do dhaoine gan Ghaeilge? Céard go díreach a bheadh ann? Cén smacht a bheadh ag an údarás ar an scéal le cinntiú go mbeadh an Ghaeilge mar chuid lárnach dhó sin? Ón méid a thuigim, dúirt an tAire go mbeadh sé ag neartú an leasú faoin tithíocht ach ón méid atá feicthe againn, níl sé sin go hiomlán soiléir. Is iad sin na chéad ceisteanna atá agam. Tiocfaidh mé ar ais le níos mó.”
“Mar is eol don Aire, is í ceist na tithíochta ceann do na príomhcheisteanna atá sa Ghaeltacht. Is é tithíocht Gaeltachta ceann de na rudaí is mó ar a bhfuil feachtasaíocht á déanamh sa Ghaeltacht faoi láthair. Tá mé ag caint ar leithéidí BÁNÚ, Tinteán agus daoine eile, ar ndóigh, atá ag cur leis an bhfeachtas sin. Tá sé soiléir nach bhfuil daoine in ann teach a thógáil, a cheannach nó a fháil ar cíos sa nGaeltacht agus is é sin an bhunfhadhb atá anseo. Ón méid atáimid ag plé anseo agus ansin tá na leasuithe ann, an é go bhfuil an tAire ag rá go bhfuil cumhachtaí breise agus reachtaíocht bhreise ag teastáil ón údarás le talamh a dhíol go AHB nó le húdarás tithíochta?”
“Déanann an leasú seo ciall. Déanann sé ciall go mbeadh an cinneadh seo déanta ag an mbord féin. Ar aon bhord ar a raibh mé féin, agus fiú sa Seomra seo, roghnaíonn na baill an cathaoirleach. Ba chóir dó a bheith mar sin ar an mbord seo freisin. Ní rud fíoreisceachtúil é go mbeadh sé seo i gceist. Mar gheall air sin, tacaím leis an leasú.”
“Má tá an tAire dáiríre faoi bhord daonlathach agus guth a chinntiú san údarás do phobail Ghaeltachta atá níos lú nó atá lonnaithe ar na hoileáin, ba chóir dó glacadh leis na leasuithe seo. Má tá sé ag diúltú do na leasuithe seo, ní mór dó a mhíniú cén fáth go bhfuil sé níos tábhachtaí go mbeidh seisear ionadaithe aige féin ar an mbord in áit ionadaithe atá roghnaithe ag Gaeltacht na bpobal oileánda nó Gaeltacht Uíbh Ráthach. Mar a dúradh níos luaithe, is dúbailt atá ann ó mar a bhí, ó thriúr go seisear.”
“Is rud é seo a bhfuilimid ag plé le fada an lá. Táimid soiléir go gcaithfidh an bord iomlán a bheith tofa agus go gcaithfear ionadaíocht ó gach ceantar Gaeltachta a bheith ann. Tá sé sin fíorthábhachtach. Tá muintir na Gaeltachta ag fanacht le fada an lá i gcomhair bord tofa agus teacht ar ais na dtoghchán. Ar ndóigh, tá sé fíorthábhachtach go mbeadh sé seo déanta agus go mbeadh an bord iomlán tofa. Is é sin an fáth go bhfuil na leasuithe seo á gcur chun tosaigh.”
“It should increase the funding for the training bodies, provide targeted financial supports to SMEs during off-the-training blocks and abolish apprenticeship fees once and for all. We need to take these things seriously. We need to allow young people to have a future.”
“If a law degree – I have said this before in this Chamber - took six instead of four years, there would be outcry across the Chamber. Think about this young man and his two friends who are considering dropping out of their apprenticeship programme because they simply cannot wait any longer. I have followed this matter up with SOLAS and I have raised it in this Chamber, but to no avail. We need a fundamental shift in how we deliver apprenticeships. Instead of putting up barriers to entry, letting courses spiral in length and charging apprenticeship fees, the Government should be doing everything in its power to encourage young people into these jobs and boost the number of workers in trade and construction.”
“In a response to a parliamentary question I received in December, the Minister confirmed that over 1,7000 apprentices were waiting in limbo for off-the-job training. Meanwhile, there are chronic shortages of tradespeople across our economy. The Department’s forecast shows that we need 80,000 construction workers to deliver its plans for 300,000 new homes, plus the retrofitting of over 400,000 homes. Yet, apprentices of all types are waiting to progress but they cannot do so. These people want to be qualified. They want to help their communities and sort out the housing crisis but the Government is letting them fall through the cracks and asking them to put their lives on hold. The Government is simply not delivering for them.”
“More than one year has passed since, and he is still waiting. This month, SOLAS contacted him to inform him that he will be waiting until January 2027 at the earliest. That is a full two years after he should have started this training. I spoke to him today and he told me is considering dropping out of the course. He is considering looking at something else. This is not the first time he has said this to me. It is a continuous thought. He feels he cannot continue to wait and is utterly disappointed. This young man has been failed by the State. His ambition has been crushed by a broken skills and training system that is not working for apprentices. He is not alone in this regard.”
“One of my constituents is an apprentice heavy vehicle mechanic. When he signed up for the course, it was advertised as a four-year apprenticeship. While it was a big commitment, it was an investment in himself that he wanted to make. It is, however, a commitment that he would likely not have made had he known how his training would pan out. In January 2025, he should have started the off-the-job training aspect of his course, but he was told that he would have to wait for an indefinite period of time because SOLAS did not have the capacity to deliver it. Months passed in this vein. He contacted me in the hope that some way to end this wait could be found in order that he could continue his course. All he wanted was to roll up his sleeves and start work, but he was left out in the cold waiting to hear whether he could continue his course.”
“Does the Taoiseach agree that his own political legacy from when he first entered politics to his role in a Government that crashed the economy to now is a housing crisis, unaffordable rents, the collapse in homeownership, and many young people who see no future here because of the housing crisis?”
“When the Taoiseach entered politics, people were able to buy a family home for £50,000. Now house prices in Galway have exploded. They are up by almost 50% in the city and more than 60% in the county since 2020. Buying a home now costs over €140,000 more than it did a few years ago. In five years of the Taoiseach's so-called affordable housing scheme, not a single affordable home was delivered in Galway. Now, finally, the Government has announced 33 affordable homes. Does the Taoiseach know that the prices being charged for these houses are up to €450,000?”
“Níl sé de dheis acu tithe a cheannacht ann nó a thógáil agus is féidir rá go cinnte nach bhfuil an deis acu tithe a fháil ar cíos. Tá na lochtanna seo ar fad ann mar gheall ar chinntí a rinne Rialtais de chuid Fianna Fáil agus Fine Gael ar feadh na mblianta. Tá sé thar am don Rialtas rud éigin a dhéanamh chun stop a chur leis an ngéarchéim tithíochta.”
“That is the reality of the situation. I am constantly speaking to young people who tell me they are paying €2,000 or more in rent each month and have no option to buy or provide a future and stable environment for their young children because of the policies of the Government. This is not a natural disaster. This is a man-made disaster caused by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments which continue to fail to meet the demand in terms of housing supply for the people Galway. Bhí mé ar na hoileáin amach ó chósta na Gaillimhe inné. Bhí mé ag caint le daoine ar Inis Meáin agus Inis Oírr agus bhí an rud ceannann céanna le rá acu sin. Níl deiseanna tithíochta ar na hoileáin sa chaoi chéanna nach bhfuil tithíocht ar fáil do mhuintir chathair na Gaillimhe ach an oiread.”
“The Minister talks about a strong economy. A strong economy is not made up of thousands of homeless children who face Christmas after Christmas in emergency accommodation. A strong economy is not made up of young renters who cannot afford to buy a home and feel they will never have the ability to do so under this Government. A strong economy is certainly not made up of all of those people who feel they never will have a future in Galway city, a place they are from, because they simply cannot afford to rent or buy and there is no prospect of ever building a home there. I am outraged by the disastrous way in which the Minister has handled the housing crisis. I have been an elected representative in Galway city for the past 12 years and in that time I have never seen the housing crisis as bad as it is now under the watch of the Minister.”
“The Taoiseach has been in the Dáil since before I was born and I am beginning to think he has become so out of touch that he does not see the hardship facing ordinary workers and families. Every single day in Galway, people tell me that the cost of living is too high and that the Government is doing too little. Then, today, we hear that we have the highest electricity prices in the EU, an outstanding 40% above the EU average. Why has the Taoiseach allowed this? Does he not meet people who cannot pay their electricity bills or afford home heating oil? Does he not speak to those people who struggle to fill their cars with petrol or diesel or to renters who can barely keep a roof over their heads? How can the Taoiseach stand over a situation where in a wealthy country with record surpluses, life is no longer affordable for ordinary people?”
“It is a shame that the Nelson Mandela Foundation has been forced to review its relationship with the university. I assume it feels that under the moral circumstances it is compelled to do so given the use of Nelson Mandela's name by that university. My final point relates to the continued use by the US military of Shannon Airport. Too often I have heard Government TDs and Ministers talk about the illegal war in Iran in totally and utterly abstract circumstances. Do we have full control in relation to this? No, absolutely not. Nobody is saying that we do. However, it is outrageous that we continue to allow the use of Shannon Airport by the US military as it continues with its illegal war in Iran and atrocities around the world.”
“In this Chamber, we cannot sit around and wait for the EU to act. This Government must take trade with Israel into its own hands and pass the occupied territories Bill in full for goods and services. Ireland can and should act where Europe will not. This takes me to another point in relation to the Technion contract or the links that University of Galway has with that Israeli institution. It is deeply concerning that yesterday "7 LÁ" exposed that the Nelson Mandela Foundation is now reviewing the use of Nelson Mandela's name by that university because of its links with Technion. This is something that a lot of campaigners in Galway have long campaigned on. They have asked the university to end any links with that Israeli institution. It is high time that it did just that.”
“The decision not to suspend the EU-Israel association agreement is an act of profound moral cowardice. Israel has violated every aspect of the human rights conditions attached to the agreement. It is committing genocide in Gaza. It is murdering citizens in the West Bank. It has started an illegal war against Iran. Now, it is also bombing Lebanon. This is not a normal government. This is a rogue state that has crossed every red line and engaged in egregious breaches of human rights and international law. Since this genocide in Gaza began, however, EU leaders have failed in their commitments to EU rights, failed to uphold international law and failed to stand up to Israel. Again, this week, the EU had the opportunity to finally send a clear message to Israel by suspending the EU-Israel association agreement and it shamefully chose not to.”
“Will the Minister make a commitment that this Bill will get a full hearing on Committee Stage? That would be incredibly important. I do not sit on that committee. I understand Deputy Sheehan does. I have party colleagues who do. Giving it that time would be incredibly important.”
“My party colleagues and I want to work constructively with the Minister on this Bill. We understand that our people and our communities need critical infrastructure to be delivered with urgency. We want to engage with this legislation and scrutinise it in order that it is fit for purpose because, as the Minister says, the critical infrastructure that is built by this Government will be in use for decades. Therefore, it is essential that this Government gets critical infrastructure delivery right. It has been incredibly disappointing that this Government has so far tried to evade scrutiny and limit the opportunity for TDs, relevant experts and stakeholders to look at and improve this Bill. Conversation is always better when we are looking at legislation.”
“I understand that the Minister is giving me the layout of the Bill and exactly how it will work. My interest is in what he would deem to be critical infrastructure. Obviously, we have serious issues when it comes to the delivery of critical infrastructure. I think of the likes of homes and houses, hospitals, public transport and infrastructure of scale. At the moment, what is being built an awful lot of the time is private student accommodation which is then rented at extraordinarily high prices. We see empty office buildings and that type of construction happening. I understand that the Minister is saying it is through the public system and not private, but it would be interesting to hear what he considers and deems to be critical infrastructure.”
“The Critical Infrastructure Bill is currently going through the Oireachtas, but it does not provide a full definition of critical infrastructure and seems to leave it up to the Minister of the day as to what is and what is not critical infrastructure. I ask the Minister to provide some clarity on what he means by critical infrastructure.”
“Do the Government's cost estimates for infrastructure projects such as the Galway ring road provide leeway for the type of cost increases that are currently happening?”
“It really has been decades that we have been waiting. I do not remember a time when we were not talking about the Galway ring road. It is also about people being able to access services through a gridlocked city, which is incredibly difficult. I was talking to one mother who said that to get to a 9 a.m. appointment in Merlin Park hospital from Connemara, really she would have to stay the night before but the prices are expensive, so she was leaving the house at 6 a.m. That is the reality of it. The Minister mentioned public infrastructure and public transport as well. We have had some delays on that as a result of waiting on the decision on this. It should have always been done in tandem, from the 1990s onwards. It was always a matter of waiting for that decision to be made.”
“Can the Minister reassure the people of Galway that the current increase in fuel prices will not slow down the delivery of infrastructure projects across Galway city and county?”
“The Minister and Deputy Sheehan were just talking about the approval of the ring road. In Galway we have been waiting decades for the approval of the Galway ring road. We also have a chronic infrastructural deficit across Galway city and county. People in Galway have been waiting decades for the approval of the ring road. This is the kind of infrastructure that has been desperately needed to reduce congestion within the city, particularly for those who may be travelling to hospital appointments from Connemara. That is always the way I see it. Similarly, the Galway harbour development has just been approved after 12 years of planning delays. We want to see this happen but there is a real fear now of the impact of global fuel prices delaying these projects further.”
“The issue here is the question in relation to the €600 million. That is just a simple question; I do not think it is any more difficult than that. It is in relation to that €600 million. I have to be honest; I have never seen a budget like I saw this year. The sums do not add up. Anybody who can take out a calculator and take a look at the budget book will see that. If the Minister wants to publish something where the figures do not add up, that is fair enough but it causes huge confusion. I do not really know exactly what is happening in regard to budgets in this Government but, obviously, there are issues there. Perhaps it is something the Government could look at for next year but the question on the €600 million remains.”
“I have never seen anything like the last budget, to be perfectly honest. The public deserves to know exactly where those cuts are going to come into effect.”
“My question is where exactly the cuts will be. The reality is that these cuts are the direct result of the Government's decisions. Anybody who read the budget book at the last budget will know that the sums do not add up. We know that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments have underbudgeted and overspent for years and this Government is the exact same. Budget after budget, the Government failed to allocate the necessary funding for essential public services and relied upon Supplementary Estimates to cover its back. This overspend is not exceptional; these things seem to happen every year under the Minister's watch. Yet, the Minister has decided to scrap the practice of using Supplementary Estimates to cover overspends. To be honest, I think that is quite shortsighted. It also shows the poor budgeting that we have seen.”
“As the Aire would be aware, there was an overspend in the Department of education. I wonder if he can give us an update on that. As he will know, the Department of education has projected a €600 million overspend that will be paid for by cuts to the Department of education and other departmental budgets. To be honest, it is further evidence that the Government cannot be trusted with public finances. I ask the Minister to give us an update.”