Danny Healy-Rae Attacks Carbon Tax, Warns on Rural Cuts
Danny Healy-Rae spoke in the budget debate on 13 Oct 2020, attacking the carbon tax and raising concerns about health funding, rural infrastructure and pensions. He criticised the carbon tax as "a savage attack on working people", welcomed pledged health funding but warned local bids in Killarney and St Columbanus could be cut and that Irish Water's allocation is insufficient.
Budget and health funding
Healy-Rae welcomed the announced €4 billion for health services but questioned how and where the money will be spent. He warned that bids for the community hospital in Killarney and for St Columbanus home appear to be reduced rather than increased, and said it will soon become clear who is right about those local allocations.
Carbon tax and impact on workers
Healy-Rae described the carbon tax increase as a "savage attack on working people" and argued it will hit commuters, hauliers and farmers through higher petrol, diesel and motor tax. He warned of a 2.5 cent per litre increase on diesel and said added costs will be passed down the supply chain, hurting families and businesses already paying high income tax.
Motor industry and family transport needs
Healy-Rae criticised the ministerial approach to vehicle policy, saying changes have penalised people who followed earlier advice on diesel and hybrid vehicles. He gave the example of families requiring seven-seater SUVs to accommodate child seats for three children and to meet safety and Garda checks, and warned that reliefs for hybrid SUVs are being removed.
Irish Water and sewage infrastructure
Healy-Rae welcomed money for Irish Water but called €44 million "only a tip in the ocean" compared with local need. He highlighted towns and villages without treatment plants, mentioning Kilcomyn and Cahar Danil and saying Castleisland has waited 36 years for a sewerage scheme, arguing that many small towns cannot develop without proper treatment works.
Connectivity, emergency services and rural services
Healy-Rae said broadband and mobile coverage remain serious problems in his county, with landline service often impossible and some elderly residents unable to get panic buttons fitted because of the lack of a line. He warned that rural communities are disadvantaged by poor connectivity and mobile infrastructure.
Pensions and social supports
Healy-Rae criticised the budget for making no mention of pensions after a year of lockdown for older people. He said older people and bereaved spouses have not received promised adjustments and described the absence of pension measures for those who stayed at home as a significant omission.
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Thank you very much. I am glad to get the opportunity to talk on this very important budget here this evening and I suppose while I welcome money that has been pledged to the health services, 4 billion, one only wonders how will it be spent, where will it be spent and most importantly will we get the bids that they are saying we will and I wanted to start with Killarney and instead of getting more bids in our community hospital in Killarney or in St Columbanus home we are being told that they are going to cut down the bids so we will see very shortly who is right and who is wrong but I certainly hope that we do not get the reductions that have been promised us. In relation to the carbon tax this is a savage attack on working people whether it is people going to work in the morning wherever they are working most people are driving and out to work and more tax on their cars more cash to their litres of diesel and petrol more cash to their motor tax and it applies right across the board to the Harleyers who are moving everything and when the cash goes up on them and it will it will after because there's two and a half cents a litre promised and diesel and there's other taxes as well and there's other taxes as well they are going to have to in order to survive they are going to have to transfer the cash to the people that are moving the goods for and that's the honest truth about it. It's very unfair it's very unfair it's very unfair to be hitting the same people all the time most of the people that are on the road they are paying already 50% income tax and to tax the what are you trying to do are you trying to tax the working people out of it altogether the people that are employing people and paying people to work for them and to ensure and to see no one could No one could do more harm to the motor industry than Eamon Ryan and he's a fine man personally but his policies are totally absolutely ridiculous go back to 2006 or 2007 he advised people to get diesel cars then come along a few years ago he told us to get hybrid vehicles SUVs and now we're being told that any relief that was to be had by having a hybrid SUV is going to be removed and that's wrong because take a family with three children in order to comply with safety regulations and to be able to meet the guards on the road when you're checked you must have you must have special seats for the for the three children and they won't fit into an ordinary saloon you have to get a seven seater to make it work and to make it work and so that the family can go out for a Sunday evening or go to school or wherever it is safely and that they won't be stopped by the Gardaí and brought to account and when we're talking about the Gardaí and I'm not blaming them but it's absolutely ridiculous what's going on out in the motorway blocking traffic people trying to go home from work and to the minister for justice and to the government is responsible and to the people and to the people and to the people and to the people and to the people and to the people and hold them up and keep them waiting for an hour or an hour and a half out in the motorway and they're having families and children that it's very very wrong I welcome money that's been promised to Irish water and I have to say here that my company I have a small company at times does work for Irish water but 44 million is only a tip in the in the in the in the in the ocean and it's not enough because we have places like Kilcomyn for a Cahar Danil without a treatment plant Castle Island has been waiting for 36 years for the next engine to the to the sewerage scheme that's and we have people here inside in talking about the environment and worried about the environment they don't want to talk about the sewerage systems at all that tell us that we can build out the country that we must build in towns and villages and yet there's no treatment plant in many of the villages and towns and in many of the villages and towns they're talking about and and and and there's massive work needed and money to be spending them but Irish water don't have the funds to do that and just a second can't call it there was no mention of the the the pensions the old age pension pension pensioners got nothing after they've been locked down all the year and they're having to pay people to bring their messages from and they're still locked down they're still advised to stay at home what about the women's pensions that was promised to get the the the rightful amount that was due due due to them back a number of years ago deceased supervisors no no mention about about what's rightfully owed to them are are are are give you give you anything back to them and we have deputy knockton talking about broadband yes there was no mention about broadband and our country our county is we have a very seriously disadvantaged uh for the lack of broadband in many in many parts of it and indeed serious lack of uh of of of infrastructure for mobile phones there it's hardly working there at all no because when the when the lord increased the service went down and that's what's happening uh in in in in in in in rural kerry and many even northern kerry and on top of that landline servicer to get input in is a total impossibility you have a woman living in her own miles away from everyone and she can't get the panic button fitted to her to her house because she doesn't have a landline not no one interested in doing that then farmers the farmers are going to pay through the nose with the carbon tax everything a farmer does is diesel or petrol or fuel of one kind of another whether it is a tractor whether it is a jeep or whatever it is a farmer can move without putting diesel in the tank and there's no problem in the world here for this government to hit these people and make them pay more make them pay through the nose there's no what about the ferry to france there's no water paying are putting any money towards uh proper infrastructure for to get our cattle out from the first of january there's no interest are no no cognizance given at all to that request even though that myself and all the deputies raised it several uh several times
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