The Senator has stolen a march on Senator Martin Conway.

I thank the 21 Senators who contributed on the Order of Business and predominantly referred to measures included in the budget. I will deal with them as best I can and apologise if I miss some of the points made.

I echo the words of Senator Ned O'Sullivan. If one were to listen to the merchants of doom and gloom, we would return to the situation in 2001 and 2011 as opposed to where we are today when there are more than 2 million people at work. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, presented his sixth budget to the Dáil today and Sinn Féin voted against every measure, despite voting in favour of the bank guarantee. Let us get the facts right and call a spade a spade. Sinn Féin Members come to this House, week in and week out, and are for nothing and against everything.

Nonsense. The Leader should have read Sinn Féin's alternative budget.

I have.

Please allow the Leader to respond.

It is fantasy.

It is very progressive.

Leprechaun economics.

Fianna Fáil did not even have an alternative budget.

This is the first of three budgets under the confidence and supply arrangement with Fianna Fáil. The only party that wanted to go into government was Fine Gael and Independents joined us.

They had to get in.

Fianna Fáil opted out and Sinn Féin would not do anything.

That is not true. We talked to everybody.

The reality is that the only man who wanted to lead a Government was Deputy Enda Kenny.

Deputy Micheál Martin also did.

The people did not support him.

The sacrifices-----

Please allow the Leader to continue, without interruption.

The sacrifices of the people, with the political leadership shown by this and the last Government, have brought the country to a better place. The budget may not be perfect, but we are not going back to the days of boom and bloom, to borrow a famous phrase used by a former Minister for Finance, Ray MacSharry. If one looks at the proposals made in Sinn Féin's alternative budget, one will see that it would tax those at work and those who employ and put the country in hock forever.

That is nonsense.

Sinn Féin is proposing new taxes worth €1 billion.

To pay for services and invest in front-line workers.

The party would send people away forever on emigrant boats and aeroplanes. The Government is bringing people home. There are now 2 million people at work. If the Senator had his way, we would have placards from here to the Red Cow roundabout and the four corners of the country. We would find ourselves back in the 1950s dancing at the crossroads.

That is absolute nonsense.

Today there are factories at the crossroads. This is a high-tech, low-tax economy.

It is a low-tax economy for high earners.

The Senator should be ashamed of himself.

It is only a low-tax economy for high earners.

I ask Senators to, please, respect the Leader and allow him to continue, without interruption.

The Government and the budget-----

I remind everyone that there will be a debate on the budget after the Order of Business.

In the budget the Government is committed to protecting what is a fragile economy. Senators Brian Ó Domhnaill and Diarmuid Wilson spoke about the problems arising from Brexit. What the Government must now do is not what Sinn Féin would do.

Why is the economy fragile? Who busted it?

Thanks to Sinn Féin.

We are in opposition.

Please allow the Leader to respond.

That encapsulates the approach of Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh and Sinn Féin to everything - we are in opposition and will oppose, oppose, oppose; ochóin, ochóin agus ochóin. The budget is about ensuring what we have to spend and, to be honest, will have to borrow will be spent prudently and invested wisely. It is also about making sure those in all sectors of society who contribute - we must make work pay - will benefit from it. The Senator is caught in a time warp. He should come back into the real world.

The Leader should tell that to the patients on hospital trolleys in Galway and those in mortgage distress.

Sinn Féin has no solutions.

Senator Ivana Bacik spoke about the budget lacking ambition. I remind her of the 2 million people at work. It represents a drop of 7.9% in the unemployment rate from the peak of our economic distress. The ambition is to lift the lives of all citizens and ensure all people will benefit, whether they are working in a factory in Cork, living on the Border in County Cavan or County Monaghan or in the heart of Connemara. No matter what one's political view is, it is important to protect the country, the economy and the people. As the Minister, Deputy Michael Noonan, said in the Budget Statement, we cannot go back to the old days. We cannot adopt a "Late Late Show" approach whereby we give everything away to everybody. We cannot do that. We did it in the past-----

The Government's measures will increase the cost of housing and keep people out of the housing market, thus exacerbating the homelessness problem.

Please allow the Leader to continue, without interruption.

I will address that issue now. The Government has unveiled the biggest housing plan in the history of the State. It was announced by the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, and supported by the Minister for Finance in the budget.

Where are the houses?

As the Senator knows quite well because he is a smart man, the level of supply is critical.

Fine Gael has had six years to address the problem.

One cannot have people in houses without incentivising the market to encourage developers to build and people to buy. If the Senator speaks to those involved in the construction sector, they will tell him that the lack of supply is the big and fundamental difficulty.

We should be building social houses.

The Senator has not listened to anything. He has opposed and continues to oppose everything included in the budget..

That is nonsense.

As we are all aware, first-time buyers are experiencing difficulties in accessing finance. I wish we could do everything for everybody, but the Government must prioritise. Home ownership is good, as is having the ability to supply housing, social or otherwise. Enabling people to own their own homes and put a roof over their heads is the aspiration and objective, in so far as we can bridge the affordability gap, of everyone on this side of the House. The new help-to-buy scheme for first-time purchasers will incentivise the market.

It will lead to an increase in house prices.

In addition, a home renovation scheme will be available.

Senator Rose Conway-Walsh will have an opportunity to raise the point she made when we debate the budget later. Moreover, we will have the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in the House on 18 October.

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell raised the very important issue of conditions for members of the Defence Forces. He may be aware that the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, PDFORRA, held its annual general meeting in Cork last week. I will arrange a debate with the Minister for Defence on the issues raised by the Senator.

There is an increased provision in the budget for mental health services that reflects the Government's commitment to reform of the sector and delivery of A Vision for Change. I participated in an event in Cork last Friday in advance of Mental Health Week. It is an issue that we must keep to the fore. Encouraging people with mental health difficulties to engage with others is very important, as represented by the hashtag #itsgoodtotalk.

Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee referred to the provision of child care. It is an issue we will discuss in the House with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Katherine Zappone, on 18 October.

I cannot accept Senator Máire Devine's proposed amendment to the Order of Business because the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and the Minister of State at the Department of Finance are in the other House today. We have no responsibility in the passing of the budget, although Ministers will come to discuss its provisions with us. I would be happy to have a rolling debate on the budget, beginning with the discussion this evening. Moreover, we will have continuing discussions on the budgetary proposals in the debates on the Social Welfare Bill and the Finance Bill. There will, therefore, be ample opportunities to discuss them.

I welcome Senator Paul Coghlan's remarks about Killarney House and its majestic grounds.

Senator David Norris made an important point about funding for postgraduate studies. As an educator, I agree that postgraduate education should be prioritised. I hope the Minister for Education and Skills will come to the House to discuss what is an expansive education budget. In this House last week he demonstrated in his statement on the action plan for education that he had a vision for the education sector and a commitment to deliver on it.

Senator Colm Burke welcomed the increase in the budget for the delivery of health services.

Senators Niall Ó Donnghaile and Diarmuid Wilson referred to the impact of Brexit on the Border region. As Members know, this House is engaged in a rolling debate on Brexit. The Taoiseach has led the Government's response, while the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and other Ministers are engaging with their counterparts in the British Government. North-South engagement is equally important. Watching the news coverage on Saturday of the demonstration attended by Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile, one could not but have been impressed by the manner in which the protest was conducted and aware of the extent of the impact of Brexit on the daily lives of citizens on this island should a hard border be reinstated. None of us in this House wants to see the return of a hard border, a matter we discussed last week in the aftermath of the Conservative Party conference. We will continue to address it.

Senator Gabrielle McFadden referred to the delays in issuing military passports to members of the Defence Forces. I will be happy to raise the matter with the Department. The Senator also referred to a building project at a school in her constituency. I am not familiar with the way in which the lists are compiled, but I will take up the matter with the relevant Minister.

Senator Paul Daly referred to the allocation of funding for the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme. I will ask the Minister responsible to come to the House to discuss this and other issues. I join the Senator in welcoming the restoration of the allocation of €211 million for the scheme.

Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh referred to cúrsaí Gaeltachta. Níl gach freagra agam. Mar sin féin, tá a fhios agam go mbeidh a €2.25 million increase in the capital allocation for Údarás na Gaeltachta and Roinn na Gaeltachta.

How much?

I am told the figure is €2.25 million for support schemes in Údarás na Gaeltachta. A grant of €2.4 million for capital works in 2016 was announced last week, as well as works on Inis Oírr. There is a commitment by the Government.

There has been a 9% cut.

Please allow the Leader to respond.

Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh is wrong to say there is no interest on this side of the House in the Irish language. I very much regret that I cannot have this debate with the Senator as Gaeilge, but, as he knows, I will try. The Minister of State is committed to coming to the House to discuss the matter.

When?

He is willing to come to the House to discuss it.

The Leader has been saying that for months.

Please allow the Leader to respond. The Senator keeps interrupting.

I have explained the position to the Senator on numerous occasions.

The Minister of State is running scared.

He is not. The only person here who is scared is the Senator because the country is going well, something he does not want.

Senator James Reilly raised a budgetary issue, as did Senator Jennifer Murnane O'Connor who made a point about the timeline for payments. The Minister has said the reason it runs from now is to allow more people to be included in the improvement. The Senator is probably young enough not to remember, but-----

I will accept that.

I remember the time, predominantly when the Senator's party was in government, when the budget was announced in December and it was near the back end of the following year when increases in social welfare payments took effect. I am glad that they will take effect next March. It is important that everyone should benefit from the €5 increase, whether he or she is a pensioner or a carer.

Senator Michelle Mulherin mentioned an insecticide. I will not even attempt to pronounce the name of it, but I will ask the Minister responsible to examine the matter.

Senator Ned O'Sullivan welcomed the announcement made by Shannon Airport. My view, as Leader of the House, is that it is important for the airport to do well. It is equally important, in the context of Norwegian flights from Cork, that transatlantic routes be opened up.

We will have the debate on the budget, although it feels like we have had it already. If I missed the remarks made by any Member, I will be happy to remedy the position, but I am not happy to accept the amendment proposed to the Order of Business.