Budget 2024 a 'missed opportunity' says Louth TD

Budget 2024 was a “missed opportunity” to deal with the “disasters” in health and housing, Louth TD, Ruairí Ó Murchú has said.

He also lambasted the government for not doing enough for small businesses, those on waiting lists and those who need better mental healthcare services.

In a statement to the Dundalk Demcorat, the Sinn Féin TD said that nothing was done in the budget to sort out the rising costs for businesses.

He said: “We all agree on the fabulous work done by the local enterprise offices, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland but we should be absolutely clear that this budget has not brought any solutions regarding the high costs.

“Even if electricity and energy prices have come down, Ireland is still more expensive than anywhere else across Europe. We have not seen the benefits.

“If the Government members talk to IBEC, IDA Ireland and Irish Small and Medium Employers, ISME, they will hear points similar to those they will hear from the Opposition.

“These points are about housing, housing, housing and the fact that businesses cannot get housing for their workers. We are talking about inflationary measures and the difficulties we have but we have our own inflationary driver in Ireland, namely the price of housing.

“We can say what we want about multiple causes and all the rest of it, but at the end of the day the buck stops with the Government.
“There was a time when local authorities, Focus Ireland and others were dealing with homeless services. Those the Minister just spoke about having done fabulous work in delivering innovation are saying we need to get a handle on housing. I do not see any proposal in this budget to deal with that.

“Until we see something that is far more real, we will be talking about Sinn Féin's proposal for 21,000 social and affordable houses and an increase in spending of €1.74 billion.”

The Sinn Féin TD also said that modern methods of construction need to be put into action, commenting: “When will we see the use of timber-frame construction to a greater degree, the use of 3D concrete printing or modular homes being built at a level that delivers for those who are suffering at the painful end of the housing crisis?

“The other thing that was missed in the Sinn Féin proposal - we talked about putting a full month's rent back into renters' pockets up to a maximum of €2,000 - was that we are in a housing crisis, a rental crisis, so the only thing that can be done is to ban rent increases until we deliver supply and the necessary solutions”.

And the government would not have introduced the mortgage interest relief measure without pressure from Sinn Féin, Deputy Ó Murchú said.

He said: "The problem is that the Government threw a good idea out into the world but removed thousands of people from being able to avail of it’.

Deputy Ó Murchú said health is a ‘disaster’, with no money for additional CAMHS services and nothing for the disability action plan.

He said: “We see no additional money and no delivery of the promised 1,500 beds. That is before we talk about CAMHS and the €7.5 million increase which, given that we proposed €20 million, is not serious.

“I do not see anything for delivering the disability action plan. People will continue to suffer and continue to come into our offices. We will be trying to deal with this client by client and that is not the way to do it.”