I welcome the support for agriculture in the budget announced yesterday, with an extra €57 million to support the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. This will support suckler cows and areas of natural constraint, ANC. After speaking outside Leinster House last week to the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, and farmers who were protesting, be under no illusion that the industry still has many challenges. It is welcome that the Minister renewed the stock relief mechanisms and income averaging in an industry which has historically been plagued with extreme volatility. Acknowledgement must also be given to the extension of the stamp duty relief for young farmers. Agriculture presents itself as an industry dogged by businesses being asset rich and cash poor. Individuals often work in isolation, being self-employed in small enterprises. It is important that we defend all of these self-employed businesses.

I refer to Senator Butler's comments yesterday and commend him on them. He eloquently described the pressures and concerns within self-employed businesses. It is a lonely place when one is self-employed. We must endeavour to protect these people at all times and apply additional mechanisms, especially in times of adversity.

Central Statistics Office, CSO, figures indicate that small and medium enterprises, SMEs, make up 93% of exports to the UK, with over half of them having fewer than ten employees. Therein lies part of the problem with our Brexit discussion. However, as Robert Burns wrote:

The best laid schemes of mice and men

Go often askew...

Brexit is the elephant in the room.

Hear, hear.

Any budget will present exceptional circumstances and challenges. An air of realism and pragmatism must be applied to this budget. The absence of any really damning headlines this morning probably indicates that even though yesterday's budget will not satisfy all, it goes part of the way to delivering what Ireland needs. To echo the Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy's, comments yesterday, we will use all of the tools at our disposal in agriculture and other industries, such as genetics and technology, to improve efficiency and ultimately drive behavioural change in business. A Brexit-ready budget is always challenging, especially in the absence of information and clarity on what the future really looks like. Putting the jigsaw together when one does not know the shape of the pieces is not straightforward. The next few weeks and months will be critical for all businesses, big and small, as the Brexit negotiations progress, and for Ireland, the UK and Europe. History will be the judge of the outworking of these negotiations. Ireland's economic success must be commended but complacency must be avoided. An unremarkable budget could risk presenting itself as someone warming his or her feet at the fire while the house burns down around him or her. We do not need headline-grabbing budgets this moment. I give credit to all the authors of this budget for delivering a pragmatic, considered approach to building Ireland for the future.

I find Fianna Fáil's declarations that it is here to save us all eternally amusing. It is here to save us from Fine Gael and ourselves. They declare how they will fix the housing crisis. It is worth taking 30 seconds to look at Fianna Fáil's record in housing. Fianna Fáil caused the collapse because of its collaboration and closeness with the banks, and the light regulation, not only for banks but for the construction industry too. In the 14 years under Fianna Fáil, the social housing waiting list increased by 258%. It is a proud record indeed. Fianna Fáil's average build of social houses was 5,523 a year and, by 2011, the council waiting list was 98,318 and there were 113,000 people on the rental accommodation scheme, RAS. It followed a pattern of privatising the rental sector. We saw that again in yesterday's budget with the tax breaks for landlords, no taxing for vulture funds and so on. For Fianna Fáil to tell us all that it will come along to fix the housing crisis is incredible. There is much more I could say about it.

Today is World Mental Health Day, which should focus on the services and supports that we provide for citizens who experience mental health difficulties. The theme for today is young people and mental health in a changing world. At the end of last year, the national youth mental health task force published its report on youth mental health. It would be fitting for the Leader to give an update on the implementation of that report. One aspect of the report will be addressed directly this evening by the legislation being brought forward by Sinn Féin. Our capacity to consent to mental health treatment deals directly with recommendation 9 of that report. It would be symbolic for this House to progress this important work on this World Mental Health Day dedicated to young people. Mental health services are in a dire crisis, not only this year and last year but for decades. Some €84 million was announced yesterday but we know that when we dig down through those figures, even initially, that will be €55 million because much of that has already been taken up by needed pay increases. There is dire urgency to reform our mental health sector. Some €55 million will not do that. We need a full debate again here and we need continual debates about mental health in this House and how we can work together to solve the crisis in mental health.

The most astonishing thing about the budget announced yesterday is that there was no change to the carbon tax regime, despite that Ireland is among the world's worst polluters per capita. It looks to me like the Government, like Nero, is fiddling while not just Rome but the planet is burning. There is a sense of the imminent possibility of catastrophe.

Small oceanic island communities are threatened with disappearance and complete submergence under the waters of the ocean.

Former President Mary Robinson spoke very powerfully on RTÉ radio yesterday and she warned that we could be into a catastrophic spiral, where things get completely out of control and nothing can be done. We have, roughly, a ten-year window of opportunity to do something and governments all over the world, including in Ireland, need to be responsible and take the appropriate measures. As Mary Robinson said, it will be for the children - not mine because I do not have any, but others’ - and for humanity.

I am very glad the Leader called for a minute's silence in memory of the tragedy of the RMS Leinster, one of the worst maritime tragedies of the First World War. It was appropriate that Seanad Éireann commemorated this in the dignified way it did. I believe Senator Boyhan took a particular interest in this matter and raised it yesterday on the Order of Business.