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Welcome to Budget Day on TheJournal.ie.
We brought you the 2015 announcements from Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin, and now we are breaking down what their measures will mean for YOU – and your pocket.
Leave your thoughts in the comments section, tweet at us (@thejournal_ie) or mail us on tips@thejournal.ie.
It’s grey and a little bit wet in Dublin this morning. Hopefully that’s not some pathetic fallacy for what’s to come today.
But it seems the rest of the country is faring a little better.
It’s Sinéad O’Carroll here, taking you through the first, easy steps. If you want to get in touch with me, you’ll find me on Twitter @SineadOCarroll or by mail at sinead@thejournal.ie.
Send us your thoughts and concerns about the day ahead – or your musings about what Noonan and Howlin should do at 2.30pm.
We’re firing up the liveblog early this morning to keep you on top of everything we know so far about Budget 2015 (including the colour of Michael Noonan’s tie).
And, don’t worry, we won’t abandon you early. We’ll be here all day to guide you through the announcements, and what impact they will have on your wage packet, benefits and outgoings.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan has already been spotted – sporting a purple/pink tie, speech in hand – outside Government Buildings this morning.
Is that purple or pink?
No decision yet though on Brendan Howlin’s choice.
Right, that’s enough silliness for the moment. Let’s get down to the real stuff.
Much of Budget 2015 has been revealed through timely and orchestrated government leaks so here’s what we know what will (probably) happen today:
In the comments section, Mark Miller asks:
Is it too soon to change the hash tag “As it happens” to “Sh*t happens”?
I’ll give it some thought, Mark.
We’ve already heard from Brendan Howlin today, with the Public Expenditure and Reform Minister (essentially, the Dad of the government who gives out the pocket money) praising the people of Ireland for their ‘incredible effort’ at austerity.
Government has to govern in accordance with the will of the people as well and after seven years of the harshest difficulty people want to see the horizon, they want to see the shape of a better Ireland and that’s what we have to begin today to plan out.
Emer from DailyEdge.ie just sent this our way to exclamations of, “Well, isn’t this Celtic Tiger Baby?”
The new, very fancy, TWO STOREY Nespresso store is opening in Dublin today. Yes, on Budget Day!
Emer writes:
While the date might be coincidental, the temptation to point to the store as an excuse for “NO RECESSION HERE” and “RECESSION? WHAT RECESSION?” quips is irresistible.
Don’t let Michael Noonan see it before 2.30pm. Or the IMF. Or the Troika. Or the Germans. Jesus, lads.
The books are ready. Yikes.
Reader Theresa Kavanagh Connell isn’t worried though. In the comments section, she writes:
I’m really looking forward to this budget. Good things are beginning to happen again. Workers will be rewarded for their hard work/sacrifices over the last few years.
To prove there won’t be as much austerity this year, MerrionStreet.ie (the government’s news service) made a snazzy video of Noonan and Howlin this morning. Here’s what the pair had to say.
Key words: ‘give something back’ and ‘turning point’
Are you a budget boffin?
Prove it! Our reporter Paul Hosford has put together this quiz about budgets from bygone eras. How much can you remember? I’ll give you clue for one of the answers.
There’s always one.
This guy was spotted by our Political Editor Hugh O’Connell on Kildare Street this morning. We presume he won’t be on his own for long.
Our Morning Office Debate/Argument today was about whether ‘Budget Day’ should even exist.
So, we turned it into the poll and asked: Should we scrap ‘Budget Day’?
Here are your responses so far.
Something from Hugh O’Connell:
Speaking to reporters at Leinster House this morning, Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams says his party would get rid of property tax and water changes and put money in people’s pockets.
He added: “The fact is people cannot pay these charges and we’re facing into Christmas.”
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin’s deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald has been as robust as ever, saying:
There has been a lot made of this end to austerity. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating, as they say. Let’s see what the government come forward with today.
The Taoiseach arriving for today’s pre-Budget Cabinet briefing in Leinster House.
Just a reminder of today’s schedule:
2.30pm Michael Noonan’s Budget 2015 speech starts
3.10pm Brendan Howlin’s Budget 2015 speech starts
The Irish Times has just published an exclusive story, claiming that Budget 2015 will include a surprise €5 increase in child benefit.
There were no further details given by sources so we’re not sure what exactly this will mean for family incomes.
Currently, child benefit rates are €130 per month for each child under the age of 18. The rates were cut by between €10 and €20 in Budget 2013.
Our Political Editor has been asking around about that breaking child benefit story (that there will be a surprise €5 increase). He reports:
Cabinet source tells me that a fiver on child benefit is a possibility. Nothing confirmed at this stage.
Reader Catherine Sims isn’t impressed. She says:
5 euro Increase in child benefit ? Well it’s going to take more than five euro to buy my vote at the next election .
Brian Dowling has just been talking to Seán O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio One about the planned measures – and everything that’s leaked so far.
He says one thing that has been kept quiet – until now – is a fourth rate of USC.
As predicted, the Leinster House protester hasn’t been left alone for long.
Another reaction to the child benefit speculation…
With the hard work over them, the lads and ladies over at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform are having the craic and are considering day-to-night outfits.
#WearingTheGreenJersey
The front page of today’s late edition of The Herald has some more revelations about what to expect come 2.30pm.
Under the headline Payback Time, it predicts the €5 increase in child benefit and a 25% Christmas bonus on pensions.
The 40c hike on cigarettes would mean that a pack will cost €10.
Time for another refresher about what we know so far?
1. The introduction of a fourth rate of USC for the highest earners, plus an increase in the bands to help low- and middle-income earners
2. A €5 increase to child benefit, bringing the payment to €135 per child per month
3. A 40c increase on packets of cigarettes, bringing them close to a €10 price tag
4. A 25% Christmas bonus for pensioners
5. A reduction of 1% to the 41% tax bracket
6. More people will receive €100 payment to help with new water charges (including long-term unemployed, pensioners and those on Fuel Allowance)
7. Tax relief on water bills of up to €100 a year
8. No change to alcohol prices.
9. A substantial decrease in the private pension levy
10. Major spending in education, social housing and health
11. A closing of the controversial ‘Double Irish’ loophole
Well, it’s getting interesting down on Kildare Street.
Here’s more from those pizza protesters.
It looks like they don’t need to swear their cheese off though, indications are that the 9% VAT for the tourism industry will be maintained.
As you have seen from the reports below, there is now an expectation that the Christmas Bonus will be returned (in part) to pensioners. The 25% payment will come in at around €40 or €50.
That’s enough for at least 10 Selection Boxes.
Ahead of today’s budget announcements, water charges have been the most controversial and anger-inducing move the government has made.
It sparked tens of thousands of people to protest in Dublin on Saturday and led this Cork man to a planned 12-day hunger strike.
Gary Coleman started the protest outside Cork City Hall yesterday evening and plans to continue it to raise awareness for an anti-water charges protest in the city on 25 October.
We’re hearing more from Leinster House about that fourth rate of USC. It is expected to be 8% on earners above €70,000.
Our annual game of Budget Bingo has just gone LIVE.
Download your cards here and let us know when you’ve beat out the competition and are celebrating with corner-flag dances in the office.
The staff manning the Public Expenditure Department’s Twitter are still playing with Dad’s ties.
Need a break from the Budget? Why not sit back and, er, enjoy the first trailer for The Guarantee. Yes, that’s a film based on THAT night in Leinster House.
How many infamous faces and voices do you recognise?
Independent TD Mattie McGrath hasn’t missed an opportunity to take a swipe at both ministers and the media today over the column inches that have been filled with Budget leaks in recent days.
But, somehow, he managed to praise Phil Hogan at the same time.
In a statement issued this afternoon, he said:
“I find it very disturbing that we are in a now in position where the leaking of confidential Budget information is treated as the norm and without consequence.
In 1995 when Phil Hogan was Minister of State at Finance and inadvertently leaked confidential budget data he resigned immediately, which was an honourable thing to do regardless of his more recent performances.
Read more from the Tipperary man on TheJournal.ie shortly.
Our reporter Aoife Barry has taken a deeper look at the important decision facing Brendan Howlin today. Purple, pink, blue, yellow or red?
Hi there folks - TheJournal.ie editor Susan Daly taking over the liveblog now as we get closer to the announcement from Messrs. Noonan and Howlin at 2.30pm.
From our Political Editor Hugh O’Connell in Leinster House comes the good news that there will be a “modest increase” in the Living Alone Allowance for older people.
And from old to young….
Some tweeters have been coming up with their own suggestions for improving the country’s coffers.
What do you think of this one?
Or this one, from the same guy. He should think of charging consultancy fees, no?
And more from our man taking the temperature in the halls of Leinster House, Hugh O’Connell:
Speaking to a few government backbenchers around Leinster House and it’s fair to say there’s a very different mood amongst them to this time last year.
Labour in particular are buoyed by the plans to increase child benefit by €5 and partially restore the Christmas Bonus.
“We can go and face people on the doors now,” one Labour senator says, adding that Tánaiste Joan Burton has “really put her stamp” on this Budget.
One final go to make ‘the Burton Bounce’ a thing?
Two Shades of Purple:
Even as the Dáil chamber begins to fill up:
Some people are getting fierce excited. Too excited, perhaps:
Bit of business to get out of the way in Dáil first: the announcement of the two new TDs for Dublin South West and Roscommon-Leitrim, Socialist Paul Murphy and independent Michael Fitzmaurice.
Fitzmaurice got a handshake and a laugh from Gerry Adams:
And a huge laugh from the assembled members when Paul Murphy shook hands with Tánaiste Joan Burton, whose Labour party took a huge nosedive in the constituency this time around (compared to 2011 election):
And here comes Finance Minister Michael Noonan with his Budget statement:
He gets in with a first pop at the Opposition, for saying the Government would “fail” in its bid to get the country back on track.
He’s missing this as a soundtrack:
“This government will not return to the boom and bust model,” says Noonan.
A few heartfelt ‘hear, hears’.
“The sacrifices of the Irish public” likely to be a repeated phrase in this speech to recognise that we’re not out of the woods, and that many people – as Noonan says – will not feel recovery while they are still out of a job, or seeing a hole in their pocket, or feeling the departure of a loved one through economic migration.
JOBS: Noonan estimates there will be 80,000 more employed by the end of this year than there were two and a half years ago. Two million at work in 2016, he reckons. He wants to see unemployment reduced to 10%.
GROWTH: 3.7% of GDP for 2014 forecast – well inside what they expected last year, he says. GDP growth of 4.7% forecast for 2014.
Real GDP of 3.6% in 2015 forecast originally – he says he’s revising that to 3.9% for 2015. “Solid and steady economic growth” is what we want.
DEBT: Net debt forecast 91% for 2014 (under 111% forecast previously). BUT we’re still way worse off than many in the EU so we can’t let that reduction to its own devices.
This is Noonan’s way of setting the scene for today’s Budget measures.
He is targeting a deficit of 2.7% (ahead of the recommended target of 2.9%) for Budget 2015, so we can… get ahead of ourselves?
CORPORATION TAX REFORM:
This is the bit exercising the Financial Times, Barack Obama and most of the EU. Ireland’s foreign direct investment attractions.
A “Road Map to secure Ireland’s place as a destination for the best and most successful companies in the world” being announced.
The rate of corporation tax – 12.5% – will REMAIN. “It never has been and NEVER WILL BE up for discussion”.
Improvements to measures and funding
Three-year tax relief for start-ups to be extended.
A ‘Knowledge Development Box’ – along the lines of patent box (we will bring you more on this on TheJournal.ie later – is being introduced. It is an intellectual property offering to attract future MNCs to Ireland.
And now onto the DOUBLE IRISH
It will be ABOLISHED by changing residency rules, from Jan 2015 for new companies – phased out for those already here:
FARMING and AGRI-FOOD: It’s our largest indigenous sector and employs 170,000 people so we should look after it, yes?
The Agri-Taxation Review has brought this up:
There will be no milk quotas from 2015 but we need more land available – to improve long-term lesing of land, tax-exempt threshold increased to 50%; longer leases; CAT relief for active farmers; raising 40-year-age limit; extending CG measures; removing stamp duty on ag leases over 5 years; extending farm restructuring support.
There will also be help for farmers who have to seek income from another job to supplement their income from agriculture, along with changes to VAT registration for farmers.
Bloodstock sector will be helped with €6m over 3 years to horse racing and greyhound industry.
Micro-breweries are a big success for Ireland in recent years, so they will get more excise relief production capacity with the ceiling raise from 20k to 30k hectolitres.
Marine sector will also get a tax review like that which the agri sector got last year (leading to the measures he announced today).
Oil exploration is one area being looked at – that has been an area of controversy again in recent years.
Jesus, Michael Noonan, that’s a dreadful cough you have there.
Heather Humphreys perks up at mention of the film credits system.
There may be an increase next year to the eligible expenditure cap of €50m in this area – but he won’t look at that until next year’s Budget.
Travel and tourism
Big pat on the back for the government on tourist increases – Noonan says that the 9% VAT rate on tourism-related activities has been “a great success” and that there are 23,000 more people employed in the sector since mid-2011.
The 9% VAT rate WILL BE RETAINED.
But he warns the tourism sector to make sure the relief is passed on to the consumers. IE, beware the rip-off culture that might be springing back up.
And here’s an even bigger warning: “If prices begin to rise”, he’ll think of taking away that 9% rate. So now.
That 9% VAT rate was helped with the Pension Levy, which was continued last year.
He’s ENDING the 0.6% pension levy at the end of 2014.
The additional 0.15% levy for 2014/15 will expire at the end of 2015.
PROPERTY: The market is in shite, says Noonan. Sorry “not currently meeting the needs of our citizens”. In private, social and rental market. And he’s not wrong.
Supply is the issue, claims Noonan, and the State can’t meet either the private or social housing needs of the public. But neither can they use taxpayers’ money to prop up construction companies for the sake of it, he says.
PROPERTY: Brendan Howlin will speak about social housing.
He is keeping the Home Renovation Incentive – extending it to RENTAL properties whose owners pay income tax.
He is removing the 80% windfall tax on disposal or development of land which has been in the planning system since October 2009. This comes in next January 1.
He will remove the Capital Gains Tax relief by end of 2014 on purchase of property – it’s “no longer needed”, he says.
The CGT of 33% rate will now apply to property market.
First-time buyers get a refund on DIRT on savings used to purchase homes (up to 20%) up until the end of 2017. This comes in TONIGHT.
Noonan is vowing that tax incentives for developers will not be the priority to allow people who want to actually live in the houses/apartments they buy, to do so.
WATER CHARGES: Income tax relief on the standard rate will be available up to a maximum of €500 per household.
Noonan reckons this works out at about €100 back to households every year on what they are paying on water charges.
Cue heckles from the benches.
“Without interruption, please” says Ceann Comhairle.
SMEs: Loans are the issue – and cash flow – so the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland - will be formally launched at end of October. The Permanent TSB will start lending to SMEs again.
The Seed Capital scheme is coming back in the next few months too.
Foreign Earnings Deduction to be extended to SMEs operating an export business to a larger range of countries, and apparently there will be “an integrated export finance strategy in 2015″.
INCOME TAX CHANGES:
Let’s reiterate some of those main points on income tax and levies:
So, how will we pay for these breaks, incentives and reductions?
Well…
The price of cigarettes goes up by that predicted bump of 40 cent - it will now cost a tenner for a pack of 20.
No change to alcohol levies.
No change to tax on motor tax, VRT, diesel or petrol.
20 cent extra on 25g of roll-your-own tobacco.
Big smile from Michael Noonan.
So in brief:
The total raised will be €167 million.
Michael Noonan loves his Soundings anthology - cites Robert Frost’s A Road “Less Travelled By” on how his government has tackled the Budgets since 2011.
Now it’s the turn of Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin.
We have to spend €50 billion in 2015 and this is an increase of €429 million on 2014 estimates. The good news though: He doesn’t think it will necessitate cuts this coming year.
CAPITAL SPENDING There will be an increase to €3.5 billion (an increase of €210 million) in 2015. This will also increase in 2016 and 2017, he vows.
JOBS: There will be a Low-Pay Commission established next year to look at how people are gaining, keeping or need help in gaining work at that end of the employment scale.
SOCIAL HOUSING:
This is an area of huge concern to people – and there will be €2.2 billion put into social housing provision for the next three years:
€1.5bn coming from the Exchequer
€300m from the PPPs (Public Private Partnerships) into social housing units by 2017
€400m from an “off-balance sheet financial vehicle” from next year – this will be given to approved housing bodies to use to increase supply
Over €800m for 2015 for the housing sector – Howlin says this is the first major investment in improving the situation since 2009.
Will provide additional 2,500 units in 2015 and 6,700 extra in total by 2017.
(There are 56,000 households waiting for social housing at last count, so it’s something – but will it make a huge dent in the supply issue?)
The sale of the Bord Gáis Energy business will provide some financing for the €400m of public investment Howlin says will be made available.
Sorry for bit of delay there folks – we’ve had to get a few more hamsters on our servers.
As we were saying, homelessness gets €10 million more than expected with €55.5 million in total on tackling the issue next year.
Remember our Homeless Ireland 2014 series from last month?
JOBS (AGAIN): The JobPath initiative is continuing to help long-term unemployed back into work – that sees €12m for 2015.
There will be €450 allocated to the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
There will be 6,000 places on the wage subsidy scheme, JobsPlus (doubles the number this year).
Science Foundation Ireland and Enterprise Ireland are allocated €260m for R&D next year.
CHILD BENEFIT will increase €5 a child from January 1.
SOCIAL PROTECTION: Joan Burton is getting €19.4 billion to give out in 2015 – there will be no cuts to schemes.
In fact, there will be a new back to work family dividend introduced to allow families to hold on to qualified child increases for 12 months after getting back to work (reduced by 50% in the second year).
Oh, and we forgot, and extra €5 increase to Child Benefit in 2016. Maybe. He’ll see.
SOCIAL PROTECTION:
And, as we predicted earlier, the Living Alone Allowance increase will be €9 a week – going to 180,000 older people from 1 January next.
Much halloooing around Howlin’s statement on Irish Water. We already heard Michael Noonan speak of tax relief of around €100 per household on their water bill – Howlin says allowances for others in the water subsidy will extend to those who get the fuel allowance every year.
HEALTH: Leo Varadkar will be looking at €13.1bn being processed through his department – a major initiative is to increase woefully-needed staff numbers so that mental health services can be improved, especially at primary care level.
EDUCATION: €8.3 billion earmarked here.
There will be 1,700 new full-time posts available in the sector with no increase to class size.
GARDAI: The recruitment of gardai restarted this autumn, and this will continue as €2.2bn goes to the justice sector.
However, will the new numbers be even enough to replace the number of gardai retiring, never mind increase the current number on the streets?
ARTS, HERITAGE, GAELTACHT: €212m
DEFENCE: €885m – the Naval Service vessel renewal is part of the plan here
CHILDREN: €975m
Brendan Howlin had no sooner taken his seat than these opportunists had gotten the Twitter Machine in motion:
Fianna Fáil’s Michael McGrath has been first to make his feelings known about Budget 2015.
He insisted Noonan and Howlin were taking the wrong course of action (‘the road more travelled,’ we suppose).
What’s this? Michael McGrath is happy that Michael Noonan has “stood over” the corporation tax rate of 12.5%.
But then says that all the other stuff (eg, closing the ‘Double Irish’ loophole) is a mistake and will put off multinationals coming here.
Michael Noonan’s Budget 2015 speech in a word cloud:
Seán Fleming of Fianna Fáil is also getting a run at the floor.
He’s pointing out that the recovery is not being felt by people in all sorts of sectors – he is focusing on a caring, sharing, social justice-oriented society.
The water charges will “cancel out any of the sweeteners announced by the Government” and that most people will not be better off next year, he says.
“The Government is borrowing money to give it away here today.” He’s implying that the FG-Labour coalition are looking towards the votes they will need in a general election within the next two years.
How will social welfare rates and benefits look after today’s announcement.
We have a handy rundown here>
Also, what in the name of God is a ‘knowledge box’?
Great explainer from our business expert Peter Bodkin, for your perusal:
Your comments on the liveblog today has shown some diversity.
Ronan is happy:
Eamonn is wary of giveaways this close to a general election:
The most controversial charges and levies of the past year are understandably grating on Shane:
Seafra has had a good think about the implications of the income tax and pension/USC levies:
And JMaireMc who wants us to look at ourselves, as a wider society:
Seán Fleming is still speaking and makes a point that makes the Dáil go very, very quiet: that there is no mention of suicide prevention in the funding announced in Budget 2015.
There was indeed mention of additional resources for access to mental health services at primary care level – but is this enough? What do you think?
Was there anything else you would have liked to have heard mentioned in Budget 2015 that wasn’t?
Protestors have been gathering outside Leinster House.
Our reporter down there, Órla Ryan, is down there, speaking to some of them.
Willie O’Dea is not getting to speak for Fianna Fáil so he’s made a big effort with the alliteration for this tweet…
Did we bring you Enda Kenny’s Budget 2015 message?
He concedes that recovery is something many of us have still to feel in our everyday life.
What do you think?
Fianna Fáil leader stood up for a moment before Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty took the floor.
Martin says that there is not one minister and not one junior minister still remaining in the Dáil chamber to hear Opposition responses to the Budget. He has never seen this before and thinks it stinks of disrespect from the Government.
In fairness, Enda Kenny is there. He’s not a minister but he is the Taoiseach.
Meanwhile, outside…
Pearse Doherty is really disgusted at Enda Kenny, who he says keeps chatting all through his speech.
Doherty feels the Government should have gotten rid of the water charges, and that the recovery is “for the few, not the many”.
He says there is no “State-led” stimulus and that the employment crisis is not being met with speedy, decisive solutions.
He is claiming that USC and tax changes will not help low-paid workers – because any gains will be cancelled out by water charges.
BREAKING.
Austerity as we know it is over.
Michael Noonan, Finance Minister, speaking to TheJournal.ie‘s Hugh O’Connell right now.
Far from being neutral, says Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald, this Budget is a disaster for the ‘coping classes’.
She points out that there are cuts coming into play in 2015, that were outlined last year, and these are the ‘hidden cuts’.
Here’s an interesting nugget shared with Hugh O’Connell at Leinster House:
“What’s the catch? Is there a catch?” asks a nervous enough Fine Gael TD who is worried about potential undiscovered landmines for the government in the Budget documentation.
From TheJournal.ie columnist and talented cartoonist, Donal O’Keeffe:
From Social Minister Joan Burton at the Social Protection press briefing:
This is a fair budget. Families, older people, and low and middle-income workers will benefit Businesses will remain competitive … We will not do anything to imperil the recovery. The Government will continue to do what is right for Irish families. There will be no return to the recklessness of the past.
Our reporter Órla Ryan says that Burton explained the €5 hike in child benefit as something that would be “universal”.
(Er, only if you have a child, Minister.)
Burton also said that some €198 million more will be spent in the department next year, including €66 million in “support measures” for people struggling to pay water charges.
However, this particular support won’t apply to the short-term unemployed as Burton said they usually “get back to work quickly”.
BREAKING: Mary Lou McDonald has been ordered to leave the Dáil chamber for arguing with Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett.
He asked her to address the chair, as per Dáil procedure, and not across the floor to the Government.
She looked incredulous asking him if that was why he had interrupted her. When she went on to accuse him of making a biased intervention, Barrett stood up and told her to leave the chamber.
And so she’s out – and we are on to the Technical Group.
This won’t be the last you’ll hear of this, we imagine…
Hugh O’Connell has grabbed Finance Minister Michael Noonan for a special interview at Leinster House.
See the full interview here>
Well, you know, austerity as we know it is over, but you always have to cautious and prudent about the future. Certainly the policies I will follow will all be geared to ensure that austerity is over.
In the Dáil, independent TD Catherine Murphy and PBP’s Joan Collins have been speaking and are disappointed for the masses who continue to struggle with the after-effects of austerity.
And new Roscommon-South Leitrim TD Michael Fitzmaurice is making his debut speech as part of the Technical group. He’s bringing the rural perspective – and the specific challenges of living in rural Ireland – to the announcement:
PBP’s Richard Boyd-Barrett is not buying the Santa Claus suggestion of this Budget. He says that the more the Government appears to be giving, the more it is taking away.
The impact of the water tax is the problem here, again.
Oh dear.
James Reilly stuck headphones in his ear as Richard Boyd Barrett’s speech reached its impassioned and rather loud peak.
Those headphones could be for an Irish translation of speeches, or to his iPhone, sitting on the desk in front. We’re not sure why James Reilly would be using them at that particular point…
Let’s hope he’s listening to Thomas Pringle TD, independent TD.
He’s not impressed by the social housing measures.
Now it’s time for Paul Murphy to make his maiden speech, after his election last Saturday to Dublin South West.
He’s speaking for the Anti-Austerity Alliance.
And here he was earlier in the day. Fair to say he was absolutely delighted to be at his first day of work in Leinster House?
“People power will defeat these charges,” says Seamus Healy of the WUAG of the water charges.
Mick Wallace now talking about a “cartel” of a few people (developers, Mick?) controlling the rental property in Ireland, particularly Dublin.
Live from the Health briefing where Órla Ryan was speaking to Minister Leo Varadkar:
Health Minister Leo Varadkar has said that while there will be an “uplift” of €765 million in his department next year, one has to take into account the €500 million+ deficit in 2014.
The cycle of cuts in health has come to an end. The budget is challenging,but its targets are achievable.
Junior Minister Kathleen Lynch welcomed the €35 million ring-fenced for mental health services in 2015. She said that the department will develop forensic mental health community teams that will be incorporated into new mental health hospital.
It will also focus on eating disorders, which lead to highest death rate of all the conditions related to mental health.
Varadkar said he couldn’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be a health spend overrun this time next year, but said that the Government would be monitoring how hospitals spend their money more carefully.
Funding of €25 million will be set aside for delayed discharges to improve timelines in hospitals and community services.
There will be no change in the relief given to people who buy health insurance.
When asked about the possible introduction of ‘fat tax’ or tax on sugary foods, Varadkar noted that the department had put in a proposal of it last year but the Department of Finance had “lots of issues” with it.
He said both departments are working through these problems – such as whether or not it’s legal and what the experience has been in other European countries.
Independent TD Shane Ross is feeling like today’s announcement is a “big lie” because it shrouds the levies on water and “other things”. He welcomes the Pension Levy removal but that he feels that talk about GDP and growth mean nothing to the majority of people and that the Government is doing nothing novel or radical to change people’s lives.
Here he is, with the seconds of his speech ticking down:
Clare Daly, independent TD, “Ye really haven’t got a clue”.
She calls the Budget an “insult” and that they haven’t redressed the savage cuts that went before.
Maureen O’Sullivan, independent TD, asks: “Who is better off today?”
She speaks of the housing crisis in her central Dublin constituency and how the crisis was allows to escalate. She feels that the public-private partnerships have so far not delivered for citizens, and why are measures not being implemented IMMEDIATELY rather than a few months down the line to tackle rezoning.
As for the homelessness extra funding of €10m? It doesn’t solve the crisis of housing separately those who are in the throes of addiction, and those who are recovering.
And rent control? Where is that? (Good question, Maureen.)
Independent Finian McGrath speaks of those who are “left behind” and talks about the water charges protest last Saturday.
There were at least 80,000 on the streets.
While the Dáil is taking a short break, analysis is heating up outside the chamber.
And more than that, a furious Mary Lou McDonald is outside in the most literal sense. From our Political Editor, Hugh O’Connell:
She is NOT happy. She’s been told she won’t be allowed back in Dáil chamber for the rest of the night, meaning she can’t vote.
If you don’t know what that’s about, read this story>
Classic inclusion of a nurse married to a garda in the Government’s case study:
Up close:
Noted by that naughty David McCullagh of RTÉ:
Joe Higgins, Socialist TD, is currently speaking in the resumed Dáil proceedings where various sections of the Budget are being put to what amounts to committee/discussion stage.
The hike of 40c on cigarettes is being discussed and it’s worth listening to (click into our livestream above) for the debate on whether this is a measure to save people, or to raise revenue.
LOVE/HATE reference in #Budget15. Finian McGrath calls the hike in cigarette price as the ‘Nidge tax’ because it “plays into the hands of the criminal”.
Looks like Labour and Fine Gael are on the same page on this Budget:
The first debate of the night is over – regarding the extra tax on cigarettes and they are currently voting on it. In most cases, the vote will be carried on measures in this Budget but we will keep you informed if there is any upset…
By the way, this isn’t the only liveblog on site this evening – if you’re interested in the Germany-Ireland game, our pals at TheScore.ie are hopping off the keyboard over here>
And in case you were wondering, the tobacco increases have been passed:
Tá 122: Níl 22
We’re onto a debate about that rebate on DIRT for first-time buyers who are using savings to buy a home (up to 20% of the price of the home).
From the press conference this evening with Department of Finance, Órla Ryan reports:
Michael Noonan said that the Budget focused on the two groups of people he feels were most affected by the recession:
1. Those who lost jobs
2. Those who emigrated
Noonan said that measures introduced today would be “mirrored” next year.
He added that the reduction in income tax from 41% and 40%, along with changes to USC, were aimed at helping the “squeezed middle” and lower earners.
However, when asked about the future of USC, he said:
Any tax system that collects €5 billion a year is hard to shift out of a tax code.
That line got a lot of laughs. Go figure…
What of the abolition of the ‘Double Irish’?
We explained it here.
This evening, Órla Ryan reports, Noonan said that he thinks that more companies will move their intellectual property here because it would be taxed at a lower rate than 12.5%, which would continue to apply at the manufacturing end.
Meanwhile, we’re not sure about the tone of the Department of Public Expenditure’s Twitter account today. (Read here)
What do you think?
In case you were wondering about how your pay will change after today’s Budget, we have a breakdown of different pay grades across single, coupled up, with children and on social benefits here.
As always with Budget announcements, little details eke their way out for hours and days after the publication.
Here’s one which is, of course, positive…
…but it does make you wonder how this hasn’t been available to this age group until now, doesn’t it?
Also, keep an eye out on TheJournal.ie in the morning on the shortfall in promised funding for mental health – and how that is a huge issue for our suicide prevention targets.
Even the Opposition is winding down on this ‘neutral’ (Michael Noonan’s word) Budget 2015, but the debate is still ongoing on Twitter.
The USC, cigarette tax hike, child benefit increase, Christmas bonus part-reintroduction – and Michael Noonan’s frog-in-throat intonation have dominated Twitter trends.
Although we appreciate this man’s attempt to sum up the whole of #Budget15 in one tweet:
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Pat.
Enda Kenny is on the Nine O’ Clock News on RTE One now.
He says:
This is not a bonanza Budget, this is not a blank-cheque Budget. This is the start of a tax reform programme over 3 years.
Taoiseach Kenny also denies that the water tax rebate is a response to Saturday’s protests and “the election of Paul Murphy.”
No, not at all.
Okay, so got this?
Earhole of the Budget 2015 liveblog just blown off by a roar from TheScore.ie desk…
In, ahem, other news, the Dáil has adjourned until 10.30am tomorrow to discuss more of Budget 2015.
Meanwhile, Enda Kenny thanks Stephen Donnelly TD for saying Budget is “politically strong.”
(Donnelly also said it was “economically weak.”)
And Mary Mitchell-O’Connor is also feeling light-hearted after Budget Day, clearly.
Re. the plinth-climbing car today:
We’re going to wrap it up now for the evening – thanks for being with us for the last 12 hours.
Keep checking in with us on TheJournal.ie this evening for more on Budget 2015, including our readers’ panel on how it affected them.
Tomorrow morning, we’ll be looking at some of the things that this Budget has not touched (the rental market controls, anyone?); the areas that may well fall short (health and mental health services); what else the Government has promised and analysis of that claim today:
Have we really left austerity behind?
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Parents who cant be bothered feeding their children properly should be banned from being parents.
Interesting ban to try to enforce, that.
Also, where would the state provide the training and how would it carry out the testing in proper nutrition in order to make the initial determination as to potential parental fitness, and how would you carry out ongoing testing to ensure adherance to this?
(Answers on a postcard to the government that still hasn’t arrested anyone over the contents of the Murphy report…)
I think it was fairly obvious I was being intentionally glib in order to highlight the fact that ultimately, childrens nutrition is the responsibility of their parents.
It was. But then, it was also obvious that a ban on advertising doesn’t stop parents feeding children badly – you can cook bad meals at home just as easily as you can buy them in fast food places.
It did raise a good point though, in that the state doesn’t seem to help parents learn good nutrition and how to provide it for their kids…
Yes! I’d love to see all advertising targeting kids banned but especially junk food.
would you agree its up to the parent to decide what food their children eat people. we cant just start blaming childhood obesity on the fast companies its up to the adults to show some responsibility and just say no censorship is not the way education is
@michael I for one see no reason the state should not be able to make far greater interventions on childrens health. so I think yes parents do control their kids diet but I see not one reason thats a good thing and should continue as it is.
@Michael yes, I totally agree that it’s up to the parents to decide what food their kids eat and banning advertising is not a full solution but it will help a lot.
Children are so easily influenced by advertising and it’s difficult for them to understand the concept of junk food when it’s made to look so good and fun, often even healthy, on telly. I don’t look forward to having to explain to my daughter what McDonalds is and why she never gets it and why she can’t have a happy meal that comes with a shiny toy… And there are a lot of parents who are as influenced by advertising targeted at kids as their kids are and fall for the Ribena ‘made by mums’ line and other clever advertising slogans.
I think we can agree smoking bans have been successful. The tobacco lobby is one of the most powerful. Stop fannying about and lobby against this threat to our health. It’s costing us a fortune in hospital bills
Dammit Susan, I’m starvin’ for McDonalds chicken nuggets now! :D
Whoops!
Yes thanks Susan, have a salad with me but now feel compelled to go to Mc Donald’s. Thanks Aaron also for mentioning the Golden Arches ^_^
I eanted to vote ‘No’ but the conditions of my ‘No’ vote don’t comply with those attached.
Anyway, good luck at controlling Sky, UTV, Ch 4 and all other unrestricted signals received in our 26 counties.
Hi Conor,
I don’t want to stop people voting ‘no’ so I’ve made it more general, to take into account all reasons for voting no to any restrictions. Hope that means you can cast your vote now!
Thanks, Susan
I’m pretty sure we get Irish ads, even on the english channels we get over here..at least on a good few of them anyway.
A ban on advertising these foods would accomplish absolutely nothing. Labelling them would be a good move, if it was backed up with some education. It always amazes me how many people put salt on their food before eating it.
I agree. The ban would accomplish nothing whatsoever. At the end of the day it’s not the kids buying the food its the parents. You could ban the likes of McDonalds advertising but McDonalds will still be at the entrance to every shopping centre in the country.
The ban would accomplish nothing at all…
…except that it’d give a small amount of peace and quiet to parents who otherwise have to convince four-year-olds that the television is wrong and that chicken cooked at home where you know what went into the meal is better than whatever the heck went into a kids meal at McDonalds.
Peace and quiet at home -v- Profit margins in McDonalds and other commercial food companies.
Yeah, I know which I care about more.
Oh, and hell yes to the labelling please.
The more information the better.
Just bring in the fast food levy and be done with it
Hmm. This strikes me as being totally impractical. Who determines the levels as being unsafe and therefore falling into the relevant category? What will the levels of each dangerous item be? Is it just junk food (some of which is not fast food) or is it all fast food (some of which is healthy)? Will it be targeted at certain companies or in general? Take for example your average McDonalds – we all know it’s bad for you on a multitude of levels, including sugar and salt intake (not to mention the numerous other chemicals, fats, oils, etc.) So we can safely implement this restriction on McDonalds burgers and fries. But many other food items are also dangerous, particularly for children. A child’s (4-8yrs) RDA for salt/sodium is 1.2g. However, in just one slice of your typical brown sliced pan there is roughly 0.5g of sodium/salt (Supervalu’s own-brand brown bread has, per 38g slice of bread, 2g of salt and 5g of salt equivalent including sodium). 3 slices of bread a day and your child has already exceeded his/her daily salt intake. Not to mention any butter, cheese, meat, etc. that the child puts on the bread. Therefore we should also restrict bread – no more Brennan’s or Pat the Baker ads on TV. No more ads for crisps, chocolates (which is fine by me). No ads for butter or many cheeses. No ads for Denny bacon, sausages, or any other pork product which as we should all know is riddled with salt. No Sunday beef dinners. No ads for Oxo or Bisto or whatever branded instagravy you use. No more stock cubes. No more ads for McCain’s oven chips. And, knowing our government, all this would be done without educating the parents on the alternatives, who, let’s face it, have been educated by those very ads who dictate their product is wholesome and healthy, despite the fact it’s not.
Good point. I think it would just have to be an outright ban on all food advertising aimed at children. Would be easier to just ban all advertising targeted at children. That’s how it is in some countries and it seems to work.
But what about food advertisements not aimed at children, such as bread, breakfast meats, hams, instant gravies and soups? These are rarely aimed at children, but children eat those foods anyway? Who decides that one particular ad is bad because it’s aimed at a child (such as chips, crisps, chocolate, McDonalds, Supermac, etc.), while another ad promoting a food just as bad for the child gets aired because it’s deemed not to be aimed at the child (Brennan’s breads, Pat the Baker breads, Cuisine de France breads, Kerrygold butters and cheeses, Avonmore butters and cheeses, etc.)? Product placement is another concern. Placing McDonald’s or whatever in the middle of kid’s shows. Can we ban that? If we do ban that then McDonalds et al could request the banning of children eating bread in TV shows. This is why I think it’s impractical. Certainly there are good motivations behind it – but it just won’t work. Someone above compared cigarettes to food. But, unlike food, there are no variations on the topic of cigarettes – they are all bad and easy to remove from the public eye. Food, in all it’s variations, forms, levels of goodness/badness, targets, etc. is a far more complicated topic.
I don’t know, you have to check how they do it in other countries, I”m pretty sure advertising aimed at kids is banned in Sweden and/or other Scandinavian countries, maybe in Canada too? Just copy their model! Easy peasy ;-). I don’t think Oxo, butter, cheeses etc exactly TARGETS children. It’s very easy to see which ads are aimed at kids and which at adults.
Aye Tina, but I wish it was that simple. We all know what corporations are like these days. Banning food advertisements aimed at children would only see those companies change their method of delivery. Rather than aiming their food at children they would simply aim it at a general audience. Children would still be exposed. And if you then wanted to ban the likes of McDonalds et al outright you run into the problem of unfair competition by allowing other companies such as Brennan’s (and I really don’t mean to be singling out individual companies here – they are just off the top of my head) to advertise.
This is true, Brian, but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t even try to control it a bit. Even some controls would be better than the current situation.
I totally agree Tina. I think though that we have to be careful if we don’t want the wrath of the EU down on us or face legal action by other companies which could ultimately undermine any positive actions or policies implemented by the Government. Personally I think some form of health and culinary class should be made compulsory for all children – a class or course whereby all the nutritional information is provided as well as the culinary skills necessary to cook the food. The fact of the matter is we are sending our kids by the tens of thousands into the world on their own and all they know how to cook is boiled eggs toast and beans – is it any wonder they then turn to fast food, and as they can’t cook, they then foist that on their kids.
Parents should teach their kids the dangers.
As a parent i can say no to my kids. I don’t need someone else telling me what my kids should and shouldn’t be eating. Ireland is really becoming a nanny state. Its ridiculous. Just like the hundreds of ads for xmas and my son asking for everything he sees, the word no will be used then too. Anyway when kids see something new in an ad its forgotten about 2 minutes later. This country has gone mad
Hear hear Sharon – This whole thread is ridiculous. My kids get home cooked meals 13 out of 14 days and a McDonalds or a Burger King or a takeaway every couple of weeks. Big deal! Just say NO the rest of the time….
Sharon and Paul, why don’t the pair of you let us know how that’s going for you in a few years time when your kids have access to their own money? If you think that you as parents are the only influence on how your children’s view of the world is shaped you are mistaken. Also, not that this necessarily applies to either of you, ‘home-cooked’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘good’. I am quite sure many people would be surprised at just how unhealthy some of the things they feed their children (and themselves) are; breakfast cereals, orange juice, bread, pasta, baked beans, sausages, yoghurts, shop bought soups….
@Linda… I totally agree with you re Home Cooked being just as unhealthy as fast food in a lot of instances. I posted on another post a while back about food waste and the cost of eating fresh food versus the cost of ready/processed/frozen food.
I am an advocate for fresh, local produce. We have our own vegetables, hens and lamb. We buy locally where possible and shop around for bargains. We have 3 highly active (Which is the key by the way), healthy children and our weekly shopping bill rarely exceeds 60 euros. We eat freshly prepared food, all day every day… The kids get a fast food treat about once every two weeks! I totally stand over it.
State intervention has worked well in the area of cigarettes and tobacco but, as I posted before on another comment thread, a proper education program and a schools led “Home Ec” type program would go much further then a ban on fast food… IMHO.
The majority vote here is YES so far.
There are two ways of looking at it. Yes, it’s probably a good thing if a child does not grow up seeing fast food ads everywhere and the commercials making eating these foods cool and popular to children. That’s how I voted anyway.
But at the same time, are we so bad at being parents, at being sensible, mature, informed adults that we cannot do the right thing by our children and not adopt an unhealthy lifestyle for their sakes. Do we actually need other people telling us how to raise our children? Do we not love our children enough to do what’s right and not what’s popular? Do we say “No, Jimmy we are not buying takeout just because Johnny gets it, it’s not good for you”, or do we say – ” It’s my child and I will raise him how I see fit as a parent”.
Or maybe you are on a very low income and fast food is cheaper – who can judge then? Food, however bad is better than no food. I think most parents do what they can.
Peoples perception of what a good parent is, varies greatly – some people have no clue, some are too strict.
In the end – it’s not enough that you love your child – you have to care and that means making decisions that your child won’t like, saying no, being a parent and not a best friend.
I cooked for my daughter and made sure she ate all the right things growing up…but on trips out we had junk food as a treat. To me that was okay. Was I a good parent?
Then again bad, lazy parents will feed their children these foods anyway because they grew up eating them themselves and don’t actually cook healthy food at home.
I voted yes, because I thought it was the right thing to do… kids will still get fast food and junk if their parents wish it.
Those who wish to scream “nanny state” should bear in mind that a nanny’s job is to assist parents with raising their children, even the negligent ones.
Also, banning advertising will not prevent certain types of parent from feeding their children crap, because they will still know where to find it in the supermarket, so there is no infringement of their freedom to ruin their children’s health.
Lastly, I’m appalled when I see what some companies will sell, especially to children, just to make money. There is no thought whatsoever for anyone or anything except the bottom line. This leads me to believe that the only solution to the problem of junkfood, like the solution to many other societal ills, is to tax it until its cost to the health service is recouped.
How would they decide which foods to tax? Some baby foods contain more sugar than the average biscuit? I’m not in favour of a total ban in advertising, but a huge reduction during prime time kids’ TV would be beneficial. Parents may have total control when kids are small, but it’s much harder to monitor a child’s diet as he gets older. There’s also too much of a dependence on sweets as a treat or reward. My 1 year old had an injection recently and the nurse presented him with a lollipop which he promptly clamped between his teeth breaking off a large chunk which I had difficulty removing without losing a finger. The dependence on junk food is fostered from a very early age and children are well hooked by the time they’re 4 or 5.
As a parent of a son with a special diet I’m not overly surprised by some of the revelations here about the salt and fat content of some foods so on the face of it I would agree to a ban of adds for junk food aimed at kids, I think most people would. Its how to enforce such a ban thats the problem. I love the idea of educating kids, and parents too, about correct nutrition and how to cook but I think the chef, Jamie Oliver, tried something similar with mixed results. He discovered that many families now don’t even have a table and chairs from which to eat their meals off and instead eat take outs or microwave meals in front of the TV.
I often wonder if the adds we see with a muscled and tanned teenaged model shown jogging into a McWassaname for a triple deck McBurger and fries were to show the same scene 12 months later. The now 18 stone, lad would collapse out of breath into a booth (the wee chair can no longer hold his weight) he takes out his Accu-Chek diabetes monitor and checks his blood sugar levels before ordering his double triple deck McBurger and fries, as he finishes the lot he’s last seen clutching his chest. Exaggerated no doubt, but isn’t this what the advertising industry do?
Its not called “junk food” for nothing and while we all know about all these other things that may also be bad or harmful for us we have to start somewhere and these are aimed at our kids, a real “get ‘em while they’re young” mentality. If we make a stand now and educate our kids we may have a chance of breaking the cycle, the next generation may not be overweight, may cringe at high salt or fat levels and may even be able to do something strange and weird like… cook… for themselves. Maybe, just maybe they’ll be a bit smarter than us.
Yes
The "Parental Skills" course will be starting this September at your local Fás training centre… Available to all dipsh1ts from all levels of society!!!
Can someone define “Junk food and Drink” please? Are we going to ban orange juice if it rots your teeth? what about actimels? they full of sugar!
Ban junk food advertising aimed at kids… nice theory, but is that going to translate to ITV? Channel 4? Nickelodeon? Few enough kids watch only Irish stations I would imagine, so its just not going to be effective. Parents feed their kids, and arent going to stop feeding them junk because there’s no more McDs ads aimed at children…
And will this restriction on free speech be in the name of public morality or public order?
What is happening to parental control? Who puts the food on the table for children? Responsibility towards children starts in the home… Compulsory cookery classes in school would be a better option.
Leave it up to parents to raise their children and stop the nanny state telling us how to live.
I agree with John Beggan. As a father myself with 2 small children I take them to McDonalds at most once or twice a month.
Obesity today is a cause for alarm. Look at the American population and to a certain extent even our own country. I was a 20 year old in the 60s and the general population were much thinner than today.
I believe parents giving their children the wrong food at this period in their lives is creating problems of obesity at a later stage.
I am not a medical man but I have had some personal experience of the above. My partner thought it was great stuffing ‘solid’ baby food down the throat of my little baby son when he was only 5 months old. On one occasion she kept feeding him ‘solids’ until he threw it all back up. Today, at 10 years of age, he is slightly obestic and I believe his system was triggered as a result of what happened 10 years ago.
I relate this because I feel what we feed our children today will determine how they will be later in life.
In general I find my children enjoy good food. Sometimes they would want me to take them to McDondalds but instread I would head to a hotel carvery and guess what? they would clear their plates of good wholesome vegs, boiled potatoes and loads of roast beef, lamb or pork – whatever meats on the menu.
As parents we must say NO the McDonalds of this world. They are after all OUR children and we must be responsible parents.
Today my son takes a certain amount of ‘slagging’ as a result of his excess weight. Therefore he has a social stigma to deal with which I believe could have been avoided.
have your say