The decisions in this budget are difficult – but we have to make them to get Ireland working again. No government likes to make decisions like this – but we have an 18 billion euro deficit to fill.

I hope this information will be useful to you in calculating what impact the budget will have on you and your household.

DAY 1:

Address by Brendan Howlin, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (read here)

Dept. of Social Protection – €475 million savings

· We have delivered on the commitment in the Programme for Government not to cut primary social welfare payments. These include Jobseekers Allowance and Jobseekers Benefit for the unemployed (€188 a week)

· Child benefit rates for the first two children have been preserved at €140 a month.

o But the child benefit rate for the third child will be reduced to €148 and for the fourth and subsequent children to €160 from 2012.

o Low income groups can be better supported though other measures like Family Income Supplement. The higher 3rd and 4th child payment targeted large families not low income families.

· Payments to carers will be maintained. The half-rate carers allowance
will continue to be paid to people who are full-time carers and who are getting another welfare payment

· Older People will continue to get the State pension at current levels

· The Free Travel Scheme, Free TV Licence, the Living Alone Allowance, Over 80 Allowance and Islander Allowance will not change.

Fuel allowance will be maintained, but the the period in which it is paid is reducing from 32 to 26 weeks for all recipients. Why?

· The weekly Fuel Allowance amount and payment period have been greatly increased during the last ten years – from €6.35 per week in 2001 to €20 in 2010

· Duration of the fuel season has increased from 26 weeks in 2002, to 32 weeks in April 2009

· Between 2005 and 2011 the numbers in receipt of fuel allowance rose from 266,000 to 420,000, an increase of over 50%.

· The scheme is unsustainable, given the increase in numbers and costs and the fiscal position of the State

· The purpose of the scheme is to provide additional support for those on long-term welfare payments during the winter season which clearly does not last for 32 weeks

· Maintaining the level of the payment, while reducing the fuel season by six weeks begins to restore the core purpose of the payment as a winter fuel support

Changes to Disability Allowance

· Disability Allowance is a weekly allowance of €188 a week for people with a disability age between 16 and 66 – the minimum age is being raised to 18

· In parallel, the upper age limit for receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance is being increased from 16 to 18 to protect the household income of such families

· The social welfare system does not generally provide benefits which encourage early school leaving – the award of Disability Allowance at age 16 creates an incentive for young people with disabilities to exit the education system prematurely. It also creates the risk of dependency on social welfare

· Instead, we are proposing to extend from 16 to 18 the payment of the Domiciliary Care Allowance which goes directly to the parents

· We pay €188 Disability Allowance per week for a single person – In Northern Ireland, the payment ranges from €109.30 to €115.80 for a single person

Health — €543 million savings

· Of the total €543 million in net savings in the Health area the vast majority, over €350m come, from non-frontline areas. This rises to nearly €500m, when the €145 million in staff costs savings are included, which will also be delivered so as to protect the frontline. These non-frontline areas are:

o measures to reduce the price of drugs (such as reference pricing and generic drugs, and reduced fees for services) to save €112 million;

o Improve the generation and collection of private income in public hospitals to save €143 million; and

o Secure 2% efficiencies in disability, mental health and childrens’ services, saving €50 million.

o Ensure efficiencies in procurement by active management and control of both price and volume of usage which will save €50 million;

· Increase in Drug Payment Scheme monthly threshold from €120 to €132, to save €12 million. This is only a 10% increase and the scheme is still heavily subsidised.

Mental Health Spend:

As promised under the Programme for Govt, €35 million has been ring fenced for the provision of mental health care in the community. This will help deliver on the Govt’s reform agenda.

€15m is also being provided for free GP care for people on the Long Term Illness scheme.

The Government has already announced that the National Paediatric Hospital will be built.

The Government is accelerating its reform programme to help offset some of the impact on frontline services:

· The Clinical Programmes lead by Dr Barry White of the HSE – such as the Productive Theatre Initiative (getting the maximum from hospital theatres), the Acute Medical Programme (improving access to hospitals by people who seek unscheduled care), the ‘money follows the patient’ initiative in Orthopaedics and the developments in Stroke Units in our hospitals, it’s expected that major savings can be achieved in the more effective use of hospital beds.

· The Special Delivery Unit, is also making significant strides. The unit is charged with improving performance in the health system and in the process reducing waiting lists. In July Minister Reilly and the SDU established a target of ensuring that no one is waiting for elective treatments for longer than twelve months. At that time the target applied to 14,000 people. The target date for achieving that outcome is the 31st of December of this year. That target is now expected to be met.

Education — €132.3 million savings

· Protecting those who are most vulnerable: there will be no reductions in the overall number of Special Needs Assistants (SNA) or Resource Teachers in this budget.

· The pupil-teacher ratio at primary level is unchanged for the 2012/13 school year.

· We will continue to provide a full programme of training and further education through SOLAS, the VECs and other educational bodies.

· We will fund important policy initiatives such as Junior Cert Reform and implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy.

· The Student Contribution will rise by €250 next year to €2,250.

o Those from a low earning background are protected — about 41% of students were exempt from paying the Student Contribution in 2011.

o The contribution of €2,250 next year will remain considerably lower than the fees of £3,465 payable in Northern Ireland, and up to £9,000 in England and Wales.

A key priority is to continue to prioritise and target available funding at schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage.

At primary level, a new staffing schedule for all DEIS Band 1 schools will be based on a general average of 1 teacher for every 22 pupils, compared to 1 teacher for every 28 pupils in mainstream schools.

All DEIS second-level schools will be given targeted support by a more favourable staffing schedule of 18.25:1.

The basic capitation reduction will apply to all schools but DEIS schools will continue to receive the enhanced DEIS grant which has not been reduced

Public service pay bill — €400 million savings

· Number employed of Public Service decrease by a further 6,000.

· Savings in respect of overtime of 10% and in allowances and premium payments of 5%.

· Public service pension: the new single public service pension scheme for new entrants (September 2011) will reduce this annual expenditure by about 35% or €1.8 billion. There will be no further cuts for ordinary public service pensioners are proposed.

Closure of Garda Stations:

- 31 Garda stations across the country will close out of a total of 703. These closures will take place throughout 2012. The areas in question will be covered by other local stations and An Garda Síochána will communicate with local communities in relation to the changes.

- Opening hours for 10 Garda stations will be reduced. New opening hours for these stations are 8am to 10pm.

- Eight other Garda stations will be formally closed which are already non-operational and will no re-open.

- Similar rationalisation has taken place in the North over the last number of years. It was reported last week that the Policing Board is considering closing a further 24 out of 83 stations.

- Funding has been maintained to the Criminal Assets Bureau and the Forensic Laboratory.

- Funding of over €40 million, which represents a modest increase of €1.4 million over 2011 expenditure levels is being made available to the Probation Service in 2012.

Re-organisation of the Defence Forces

A major re-organisation of the Defence Forces will be initiated arising from the reduction in strength of the Permanent Defence Force to 9,500 personnel. This will include a reduction in the number of Army Brigades from the current three to two.

Because the Defence Forces have downsized faster than the rest of the public service and are already 11% below the 2000 strength level, the Government have decided that there will be no further reduction below the level proposed in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure. The strength will be maintained at 9,500 but there will be a major streamlining of the organisation. No further barrack closures are envisaged as part of this process.

DAY 2:

Address by Michael Noonan, Minister for Finance (read here)

Income tax

There are no changes in the existing rates or income tax bands. There are also no changes to existing tax credits.  However, Illness Benefit will now be taxed from the first day of payment; previously the first 6 weeks (36 days) were exempt from tax.

Domicile levy

The citizenship condition for payment of the levy is being removed. This will mean that liable non-residents will not be able to avoid the levy by changing their citizenship status.

Universal Social Charge (USC)

· From 1 January, the exemption level will be raised from €4,004 to €10,036.

· This measure benefits nearly 330,000 people.

· The Revenue Commissioners will collect the USC on a cumulative basis from 2012, thereby reducing the risks of the over or underpayment of the USC, and this will offset the costs of the very positive change made for the lower paid.

PRSI

The current relief of 50% of employer PRSI for employee contributions to pension schemes has been abolished (1 January 2012).

PRSI will be expanded to cover rental, investment and other forms of income from 2013.

Value-Added Tax (VAT)

The standard rate of VAT will be increased from 21% to 23% from 1 January 2012. This only affects goods which are already liable to the 21% rate.

· 20 out of the 27 EU Member States have increased VAT in the last four years, which puts us very much in line with our European colleagues.

· Most food, children clothes, oral medicines and other goods and services will remain at the zero VAT rate.

· The 13.5 per cent rate that applies to home heating oil, residential housing, labour intensive services and general repairs and maintenance will remain the same.

· For the majority of the past twenty years, the VAT differential between the Republic and Northern Ireland has been 3½ per cent and as high as 6½ per cent as recently as 2009.

· The differential will be now 3 per cent.

DIRT (Deposit Interest Retention Tax)

DIRT will be increased from 27% to 30% for payments made annually or more frequently. DIRT will be increased from 30% to 33% for payments made less frequently than annually. Exit tax on life assurance policies and investment funds are also being increased by 3% to 30% for payments made annually or more frequently and 33% for payments made less frequently than annually. (1 January 2012)

Excise duties

Tobacco Products Tax

Excise Duty on a packet of 20 cigarettes is being increased by 25 cents (including VAT) with a pro-rata increase on other tobacco products. (From midnight on 6 December 2011)

Alcohol

No change in excise duty.

Legislation planned on low-cost alcohol

Carbon tax

The carbon tax will be increased by €5 to €20 per tonne on fossil fuels.

This means:

• 1.4c increase on Petrol
• 1.6c increase on Diesel
• €17.32 increase on Fuel Oil (to rise in May)
• €14.46 increase on Natural Gas (to rise in May)
• No Carbon Tax on solid fuels

Property taxes

Household charge

A household charge of €100 is being introduced in 2012. This charge will fund local services, in line with the requirement in the EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland. The charge is an interim measure pending design and implementation of a full property tax in 2014.

Owners, not occupiers, are liable. The charge does not apply to social housing or housing provided by a charity. There will be a waiver for those on Mortgage Interest Supplement and for those residing in certain categories of unfinished housing estates. Provision will also be made to allow payment of the charge in instalments.

Mortgage interest relief (MIR)

· Increase interest relief to 30 per cent for first time buyers between 2004-08

· Confirming that mortgage interest relief will no longer be available after the end of 2012 and will be fully abolished from 2018.

· For those who wish to buy a home in 2012:

o First time purchaser buyers will get mortgage interest relief at a rate of 25 per cent rather than the 15 per cent; and

o Non-first time buyers will benefit from relief at 15 per cent instead of the reduced rates of 10 per cent.

Stamp duty

The current stamp duty arrangements for residential property will continue to apply with 1% on transactions up to and including €1 million and 2% thereafter.

Multiple stamp duty rates for non-residential properties (including farmland, commercial and industrial buildings) will be abolished. The current top rate of 6% will be replaced with a flat rate of 2% in respect of instruments executed after 6 December 2011. (Midnight 6 December 2011)

Section 23 reliefs – small investors

Reliefs in Section 23 type investments will continue at the present rate for investors with an annual gross income under €100,000. These small investors are regarded as being vulnerable to insolvency.

Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT)

The current rate of 25% is being increased to 30%. This increase applies in respect of gifts or inheritances taken after 6 December 2011.

Capital Gains Tax (CGT)

The current rate of 25% is being increased to 30%. This increase applies in respect of disposals made after 6 December 2011.

Property purchased between midnight 6 December 2011 and the end of 2013 and held for at least seven years will not be liable for Capital Gains Tax for those seven years.

Motor tax rates

Motor tax rates for all categories will increase. (1 January 2011)

Motor tax for cars in band A will go up from €104 to €160, and band B goes up from €156 to €225. Band C will go up from €302 to €330, Band D – €447 to €481, Band E – €630 to €677, Band F – €1,050 to €1,129, Band G – €2,100 to €2,258.

Motor tax rates based on engine size will also increase. For example, engines with 1,001 to 1,100cc will go from €259 to €278; 1,601 to 1,700cc engines will go from €471 to €506; 2,001 to 2,100cc engines will go from €784 to €843.

Motor tax on electric vehicles will increase from €146 to €157.

Corporation tax

The 3 Year Tax Relief for Start-up Companies scheme provides relief from corporation tax on the trading income and certain gains in the first 3 years of trading. It is being extended to include companies which start up in 2012, 2013 or 2014.

I want to return to a society based on principles; to a less harsh and a more merciful and forgiving society. There is something broken in our society and I believe that the ethos I am proposing has the potential to help us become, not just more ethical and happier, but really inclusive.

As President, I would put the welfare of our people at the heart of the Presidency, which can be a very powerful institution and can symbolise all that is good about our way of life. I would like to continue much of the practice of President McAleese by quietly working, often below the radar, to make our country a better place. I hope that by example, I can help others to start on a new journey in search of values that will take us through the iconic year of 2016 and beyond.”

On the campaign trail with Gay Mitchell – Video Link

It was a week of firsts! I met Enda Kenny for the first time since he became Taoiseach. I had my first “on-campus” canvass, when I met Cllr. Noel O’Donovan a newly co-opted councillor and UCC student. And for the first time as a Public Representative I began to feel old. Since my political career began I have always been considerably younger than the majority of my colleagues, however this week I met two new young councillors, Cllr .Noel O’Donovan (Cork County Council) aged twenty two and Cllr Ciara McPhillips (Monaghan) twenty three.

Aside from making me feel older than I really am, I was delighted to meet two younger people who have decided that they want to give up a huge amount of their free time to contribute something to their communities. It is a great vote of confidence in the future that people were willing to give them the chance to represent their communities. Young Fine Gael has always made a huge effort to get young people involved in canvassing & debates around policy but to see two new councillors under 24 really does show that they are taking it to the next level and mean what they say about promoting people with fresh ideas and a new perspective on the problems that face us.

Disaster struck in Sligo this week. Perhaps “disaster” might be over stating the incident a little! On Thursday night suffering from exhaustion, hunger and a complication with the local accent, I misheard (or perhaps just didn’t listen to) the directions to a councillors home. Headstrong and stubborn I refused to phone the councillor back to ask for a clarification, assuming that I would eventually stumble upon his house. I didn’t! Christopher Columbus I am not. After many U turns, clipping of ditches and mumblings under my breath, the local man eventually rang me to see what happened. I was ever so grateful for his patience; he stayed on the phone with me until I arrived outside his door and was warm and welcoming, when he didn’t have to be. To be honest, this really has been a trend throughout the whole campaign, people have been exceptionally decent and understanding of the difficulties that Seanad candidates have brought upon themselves.

The count for the Seanad Election starts the Tuesday after Easter, April 26th. Each of the different vocational panels i.e. Cultural and Educational; Agriculture; Industrial and Commercial; Labour and Administrative are counted on different days and each constitutes an individual count. It is expected that the count for the panel I am contesting, Industrial and Commercial will, be completed by Thursday 28th.

I have done the very best I can. Now I have to discover the patience and humility to sit back and wait for my peers to decide my fate. If I don’t make the Senate, maybe I could become a travel writer………..

The Seanad Count results will be available here: http://www.seanadcount.ie/

Counties Visited: 7 (Wexford; Cavan; Meath; Westmeath; Longford; Donegal and Mayo)

Week five – I didn’t think I’d be still driving! As you read this, some of the votes for the Seanad Election have already been cast. The Fine Gael members of Cork City Council are casting their votes across all five panels at 3pm today in City Hall. So my fate is already being decided. At least I know I have one vote…..my own!

The week just past was nothing if not interesting. I started in Wexford with a very good friend of mine Pat Quigley. Pat is originally a Wexford native and a member of the very famous Quigley hurling family. And as it turned out, a good man to have with me, as one councillor reminded me of the part played by the North Cork Militia in the battle of Oulart in 1798! This particular councillor’s parting words to me had been passed onto him by his grandfather “if you ever see a good Cork man, shoot him…..before he turns bad!” Not exactly the reception I had been hoping for.

With over 8,300km driven in total over the last five weeks I found myself beginning to tire physically this week. With some counties voting earlier than others, I had to drive long distances between counties to canvass the early voters, rather than canvassing neighbouring counties. However being such a long way from home, there was little point in taking a day off to recoup.

Donegal was a great “pick me up”. My father’s family are originally from Ballyshannon, so I spent an evening with my godfather and cousins to take my mind off the campaign. Almost like a home away from home. However, there was one councillor who lives in Culduff on the Innishowen peninsula. I could have gone to New York City faster than it took me to get to Culduff!

Any Seanad candidate will tell you that the amount of tea they drink over the course of the campaign is immeasurable – however one particular evening, when I was parched for a cuppa the councillor of the house told me that they couldn’t offer me a brew, because he wife had mistakenly bought Lyons during the week!

I will be in Cork this afternoon to cast my own ballot. However with just over one week left in my campaign, I still have seven counties left to canvass, Louth, Monaghan, Galway, Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon. The end of what has been an immensely enjoyable campaign is almost upon us. The polls for the Seanad election will close on Tuesday April 26th, and the count starts immediately after that. The new members of Seanad Eireann will be finalised by May 1st, I hope to be one of those members.

If anything the driving this week gave me an opportunity to reflect on what I have learned from the Seanad Campaign. Firstly, it is probably the oddest way to get elected to any office, whether that is parish council or Seanad Eireann. One of my colleagues has compared it to something between winning the Grand National and the National lotttery. Secondly, people are innately decent. The numbers of people I have meet over the last few weeks that have gone out of their way and taken time from their day to meet me (one of the very many Seanad candidates vying for their time) has been very humbling.

Along with these, I have also learned some very practical things. A country mile is far longer than a regular mile. I have experienced this when asking for directions, I have been told“..go on the road for another mile..” – five miles later I will eventually arrive at my destination! A large estate in rural Ireland, is not a collection of hundreds of houses – but rather a country manor, much more difficulty to identify late at night. Eat when you get the opportunity – I foolishly turned down dinner this week in the afternoon and unfortunately didn’t get to eat that night until past 11pm.

And most importantly, there are very proud Cork people all over Ireland. Whether they were born in Cork or their parents were Corkonians. The current Mayor of Kilkenny County is a Cork woman – Catherine Connery, born and reared in Watergrasshill. Catherine lead the Kilkenny Association of New York in the St Patrick’s Day parade this year – widely commented on by the Association members that it was the first time a Cork woman lead the Kilkenny Association! I met another Kilkenny Councillor who wished to remain nameless but believed that the “Avonmore” red and white logo on the Kilkenny jersey was a little bit of Cork for the Rebel diaspora!

Aside from learning that the Kilkenny hurling prowess most likely comes from Cork exiles, I have enjoyed seeing Spring arrive as I have travelled around the country. Seeing new life appear in the fields now that winter has passed never fails to excite me. It fills me optimism for the future, a sign of better days to come. In a way, I hope the same for our country. This Spring, Ireland is making a fresh start and we have the promise of better times ahead. We need to focus on the positive, the little victories in our lives and communities, to make our tomorrow brighter than what we have all endured for the last 3 years.

Now where is that map for tomorrows 300 miles of driving….. to quote Bertie – A lot done, a more to do…..!

Whatever I may have written previously about getting lost down boreens or performing U-turns on lonely country roads in Kerry and Limerick, these were a simple affair when compared to the maze that is traffic management in Dublin! What with all the one way systems, the ‘bus corridor’ and parking charges that could only be described as extortionate, I was very glad to make my way back to Cork again on Thursday via Tipperary.

While I was pleased with the reaction I received from both the Dublin councillors and the various TDs that I met, I was much more pleased to note the change around Leinster House from when I last visited some months ago. The place is alive with new voices, fresh ideas and a new Government that has a plan and having hit the ground running, they seem determined to continue in that vein until Ireland is back working again.

I met with several Government Ministers including Finance Minister Michael Noonan, Transport Minister Leo Varadkar and Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton. It was striking that they were still prepared to make time to hear about how things are in Cork and the concerns that we have about job creation in the City and County. It is a cause of concern to me, and I am sure to other City Councillors, that the IDA strategy is to locate 50% of all investment outside of Dublin and Cork. Equating Cork to Dublin at this level is grossly unfair and is something that Cork Chamber has rightly highlighted in recent months. I will continue to make this point to the new Ministers for as long as it takes for common sense to prevail.

The strong community spirit that I wrote about last week was in evidence around Dublin as well and even around the Dail. You get the sense that TDs know that politics as usual is no more, that all parties must work together to get Ireland working again and that the new government at least has a mandate to implement the change needed to make sure that politics once again serves the all of the people and not just those who happen to be wealthy or well connected.

The reaction to me so far is very positive and I am very grateful to those who have taken time out of their day (or night!) to meet with me for a chat. I realise that it is an imposition for some of them but I am passionate about making a difference and I think that even the most hard nosed councillors can see that once they meet me. Still a lot of counties to cover but as long as the sat nav works I’ll be fine!

Week Three:

• Drove 1,621km

• Met: 43 seanad voters.

• Counties visited: Three – Waterford; Tipperary (North and South) Dublin

Week two:

Drove 1,792km

Met: 31 Seanad voters

Visited four counties: Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Cork.

This week was just as busy as the first with me covering good ground and meeting many more councillors. What struck me, aside from the challenges faced in every town and village I visited, was the spirit of so many people who are determined to fight their way past recession in so many different ways. Most of all what impressed me was the volunteer spirit that you can see in communities all around Ireland.

It’s easy to get dragged down by the gloom that’s all over the country but as I travelled around and saw the revival of things like Tidy Towns groups, new festivals being set up and retailers working together to promote their towns, I couldn’t help but feel that maybe Ireland is beginning to get back on the right track again. The genuine concern of so many of the public representatives that I met for their communities was heartening. At their core they are proud local people who share the concerns of so many of us – jobs for their communities, making doing business easier with less red tape, providing proper education facilities locally.

These are the type of concerns that I would like to work on if I’m fortunate enough to be elected to the Seanad. They are interlinked insofar as to incentivise businesses to create jobs in communities we have to ensure that we have an education system that delivers the correct kind of education for the 21st century. However, having the right people is pointless if the climate for business is not right and so many of the representatives I met want to see action taken to reduce the administrative burden on small businesses. I share their passion to see strong Irish companies of all sizes succeed. We have so many startups that could export if they were given a little help. When it comes to value added food production, software localisation & development not to mention our incredible tourism product, Ireland has an enormous amount going for it. We have an enormous amount going for us as a nation. The job of a politician is not to dictate how this will happen, but to enable people to make it happen.

Seeing the spirit of so many people over the last week who want nothing more than the chance to rebuild their communities has made me even more enthusiastic about this campaign, even if my love of drinking vast amounts of tea is being sorely tested in the process!

This article was published in the Evening Echo on Monday March 21st, 2011

Today is my last day in work as I’m taking a five week leave of absence from my day job.  Over the course of the next few weeks, while on the road, I intend to blog my experience of the Seanad campaign. I have been told that the Seanad campaign is probably one of the most gruelling and intensive campaigns anyone can undertake.

This weekend essentially kick starts my campaign. I’ll spend the time drawing up a travel plan, meeting and speaking to candidates from previous elections, to see what kind of advice they would offer on the pitfalls. I think its common advice to start canvassing your home county.

I’m looking forward to getting on the road and meeting the members of a much enlarged Fine Gael party, the length and breath of the county.

Over the course of the coming weeks, I will be blogging why I’m running and what I feel I can contribute, but also the experience of the campaign! Keep an eye out on Twitter, Facebook and also Audioboo

Since becoming involved in politics, I have wanted to contribute at the highest level and I believe that my record as a city councillor shows that I have the ability and commitment needed to advance the changes needed to improve peoples’ lives and the way the country works.

Last year I was the youngest ever Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork and I sought a nomination to contest the General Election. I believe that what Ireland needs after the instability we have had, is a stable government, but one that will be held to account by a strong parliamentary system that scrutinises legislation and allows for proactive policy making, rather than the reactive system we have seen. I would like to be part of that”

I am committed to improving the situation of the country and I believe I have the youth, energy and enthusiasm that will be needed in the life of the next parliament.

Fine Gael have said that with 100 days of being elected to office, we will hold a referendum on the future of the Upper House. So ultimately it will be the people that will decide whether or not the Seanad is retained and I will fully respect the outcome of that vote.  However in two months time a new Seanad will be elected to serve a full term and we need competent people to be part of it.

I believe that the Seanad should be reformed as part of a package of electoral and procedural reforms to make politics more effective in Ireland. For example, we need to ensure that never again is money wasted on never ending tribunals that provide no answers and only cost the taxpayers millions. The Seanad should play a role in a heavily reformed committee system which can scrutinize legislation, hold public officials to account, take expert statements from sectoral interests and perform a much greater role in the oversight of proposals coming from Europe.

The Seanad should provide a forum for experts and citizens who may lack the capacity to get elected to the Dail to play a part in how this country is run and we have seen the value of people like Mary Robinson, David Norris and Fergal Quinn in having a role in examining legislation and proposing measures that make a good deal more sense than might otherwise be the case.

I am seeking election to the Seanad because I believe that whoever is in power after the election will need to be held to account by a strong Oireachtas and I want to be part of that. My experience as Cork’s youngest ever Deputy Lord Mayor and as a city councillor for 4 years now has shown that I have the determination to make positive changes for the people I represent.

I am employed by a leading Irish owned software development company and I have seen the many challenges that a start-up business faces. I want to speak out for the thousands of small Irish companies that are faced with zero credit availability, onerous regulation and state agencies that are not always fit for purpose in the 21st century.

I believe that I can be a voice for my generation who are being forced to choose between a life on the dole or emigration. That is not the Ireland that I want for my family, friends and neighbours.

As you are more than aware, the Irish economy is in its third consecutive year of recession. Outlined below are a number of economic indicators of the State’s current economic performance.

Total tax receipts for the first 10 months of 2010 was €24.7 billion, down 5.4% on the corresponding period in 2009 (26.096 billion). VAT receipts, stamp duty, excise duty and corporation tax were all ahead of target while income tax was -4.1% behind target. The Department of Finance forecasts that total tax receipts to the year end will fall 6% below the level registered at the end of 2009, i.e. €31.05 billion.

Locally, Cork City Council is dealing with diminishing resources, while trying to meet obligations and limiting the impact on services. In the last two years, we have suffered a drop of 18% in the Local Government Fund (from €28.2m to €23.6m) and expect this year, that it will be cut by a further 10%. It is also expected this year, that the Minister will impose a 1% – 2% Commercial rates drop on local authorities, this coupled with the drop in the LGF will be crippling for Cork City Council. A 1% adjustment on the rate equates to €636,500 per annum, which will have to be found elsewhere in our estimates if this happens.

Some statistics that have recently been provided to me on Commercial rates include:

• 6,450 Ratepayers approximately in the City
• Mean Annual Rate is €10,042 (or €193 per week)
• 3,075 Ratepayers pay less than €3,000 p.a. (or €58 per week)
• 4,154 Ratepayers pay less than €5,000 p.a. (or €96 per week)
• 5,185 Ratepayers pay less than €10,000 p.a. (or €100 per week)
• The top 500 Ratepayers account for almost €40m or 60% of the total.

All other sources of income are also expected to fall in the coming twelve months.

Expenditure over the last three years has been cut significantly in Council, while we try to maintain existing levels of service. One hundred and thirty eight staff have left City council since the end of last year.

There are a number of options open to City Council to manage this deficit which have been discussed at our preliminary budget meetings. However no final decision has been made as yet, and again, our estimates are dependent on the National Budget, which takes place on December 7th 2010.