I welcome the budget, in particular the increase of €1 billion in the health care budget. It is extremely important that it be managed properly. I was interested to listen to the leader of Sinn Féin giving out about the budget. We are trying to encourage more nurses and doctors to come home to work in Ireland, whereas Sinn Féin’s proposed increase in taxation would discourage them from doing so.

That is nonsense.

Many good people in the health care sector have left the country and it is important that we do everything possible to bring them back. A total of 38% of the doctors working in the country are non-Irish graduates. We need to encourage the many abroad to come back. Between now and 2025 there will be a shortfall of 95,000 medical practitioners in the United States. That is the challenge we face. We are competing in a world market. It is important to use the health care budget wisely and make sure we get the maximum number of frontline staff available to provide services. Many seem to have forgotten from where we have come. We were borrowing money at a rate of 14%. The last Government bond sold was at an interest rate of 0.33%. The unemployment rate has come down from 15% to 7.9%. It is important to make sure we do not go wild because extra money is coming in through taxation. A total of 160,000 more people are working now than four years ago. With over 2 million working, more taxation is coming in, but it is important to spend that money wisely and carefully and that we provide the necessary support services in our health care sector.