We can now say that in the first half of the lifetime of this Government, we have pulled our country back from the brink, restored stability to the country’s finances and restored the country’s reputation abroad.
The second half of the Government’s lifetime must be focussed on recovery and job creation starting with this Budget. This country’s hard-won independence was undermined by Fianna Fáil’s cavalier recklessness and negligence in Government. It will take Ireland decades to put the nightmare behind it but we have turned an important corner and December 15th will be a milestone in the history of this country.
Given the background of where their negligence led us, it is difficult to listen to the pious emissions from the Fianna Fáil benches. Fianna Fáil’s protestations on the Budget are like vandals who feign opposition to the rebuilding of a House that they themselves burned down because they don’t like aspects of the new architecture. Of course this Budget is difficult for some people but why is it difficult? It is difficult only because of the mess in which Fianna Fáil left the country.
Of course, the hardship is not nearly so acute as would have been the case if another 600 million euro had been taken out of the economy as was advocated by some. The Labour Party and the Government were determined that we should not dampen the recovery that is now apparent. We will still make our targets with a little to spare – which is prudent – if we are going to be able to stand on our own two feet and borrow money at affordable rates in the bond markets.
I have been requested in the House to maintain the grants-based Better Energy Programme while we transition to a PAYS-type scheme. I am very pleased to confirm that the 30M in stimulus funding secured yesterday will now continue investment in the Better Energy and Warmer Home energy efficiency schemes to a total of 57M. Meanwhile we will continue to adapt a PAYS-type concept for launch next year. The experience of the Green Deal in Britain should mean that we can learn from that experience.
The Warmer Homes Scheme provides energy efficiency measures free of charge to low-income households. Over 15,000 homes are expected to benefit from upgrade under this programme in 2014. The estimate for 2014 under the Better Energy Homes is that a further 17,000 homes will be retrofitted next year. This is separate from an additional 14,000 social housing units that will achieve improved energy efficiency through a retrofitting programme in the Department of the Environment social housing programme.
Earlier this year, I also established a 70M Energy Efficiency Fund to encourage similar works in public and commercial buildings, which will also boost employment, a key deliverable of the Government’s Action Plan for jobs. The projections are that the Fund will deliver up to 675 jobs, direct and indirect, for every 10M expenditure.
Of course the thrust of the Budget is to stimulate economic activity and grow employment. In that regard, in addition to jobs in home insulation and refurbishment of public buildings, my Department is piloting a trading-online voucher scheme. Under the pilot scheme vouchers of up to 2,500 euro will be provided to 50 small companies to help them develop an online trading presence. The scheme will be administered by the Dublin City Enterprise Board and will target small enterprises that employ less than 10 people and have a turnover of less than 2M per annum. Following the pilot we will then rollout the scheme countrywide. I am setting aside 5 million euro in 2014 to assist the rollout of the national trading-online voucher scheme aimed at getting 2000 new small Irish businesses trading online. This is in keeping with the National Digital Strategy which I launched earlier this year and which sets out a compelling case for increased digital adoption right across society, with particular emphasis on small businesses, education and citizens. I am also continuing the basic training programme, Benefit 4, to facilitate “non-liners” on how to make practical use of the internet for everyday chores and for social purposes.
By this time next year, every second level school in Ireland will have been provided with world class broadband infrastructure. Any member of the House who has had the opportunity to visit any of the schools already connected cannot but have been impressed by the exciting new learning possibilities opened up for our young people.
My Department will continue to support the Digital Hub, where there are currently over 70 digital enterprises providing some 900 high value jobs. I have also renewed the mandate of the National Digital Research Centre for a further five years.
My Department is also designing a new high speed broadband intervention to facilitate delivery in areas of the country where it is not commercial for the market to invest. When combined with the commercial interventions already underway, this will radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring that high speed broadband is available to all citizens and businesses.
In the postal sector, a new national postcode system will provide a unique code to every letter-box in the State by 2015. Under the new system, Ireland will be the first country in the world to have a public database of unique identifiers for all properties that will assist citizens, public bodies and businesses to locate every individual household in the State.
The groundwork on designing the postcode and updating private and public sector databases to accommodate the new postcode system will now be undertaken. Money is set aside in the Vote next year to substantially progress work on this project.
While over €180m in TV licence revenue will flow through my Department’s Vote next year, work is being progressed to introduce a Public Service Broadcasting Charge to transform the funding of public service broadcasting in the State. My Department has just completed a public consultation on the proposed charge. The new charging mechanism will reduce the level of evasion and will also ensure that commercial enterprises pay an equitable contribution to public sector broadcasting.
After years of retrenchment, we are now at a turning point. Don’t just ask us – ask the IMF, the EU, the OECD, the ESRI. This country is getting back on its feet and it is now on the road to economic recovery.
On the jobs front, the Live Register is falling and the number of people at work is rising – in the twelve months to the end of last September, there are 38,700 more people at work. The Budget is designed to maintain this momentum.