Opposition criticises government for 'stealing our clothes' for budget policies

Sinn Féin's Mairead Farrell  said the government chose to 'water down' proposals they heard from her party.

Renters are facing “uncertainty” and the Government has “failed” to target measures for those most in need, Opposition parties have said.

Sinn Féin's finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty has said that the Government could have given "certainty" to those who are vulnerable and to "plan for the future", but they failed to do so.

His party’s spokesperson on social protection, Claire Kerrane has said increases to weekly social welfare rates "will not go far enough to protect the most vulnerable in our society" when eventually introduced in January.

Ms Kerrane said the budget also made no reference to child maintenance and no moves on establishing a child maintenance service in the State.

She said this is despite Minister Heather Humphreys having received a report on the matter some months ago.

Sinn Féin’s public expenditure spokesperson Mairead Farrell in her speech said the government chose to “weaken” or “water down” proposals they heard from her party.

She told the Dáil: “In some parts of today’s presentation, it would appear that you have spent the weekend rummaging through our wardrobe, stealing our clothes.

But unfortunately, rather than a fashion upgrade, it appears to be something of a wardrobe malfunction.

'Money spread thinly'

Meanwhile, Labour's spokesperson on Finance Ged Nash TD said that the budget has "a lot of money spread so thinly that some won't even notice".

It only offers "a temporary respite" to those "that a two-tier Ireland is leaving behind", he added.

The party’s housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan said measures announced in the budget “ranks of a panicked effort to dazzle people.”

She said without an emergency rent freeze, the rental tax credits announced are “meaningless” and renters are facing a “winter of grave uncertainty.”

Shorthall slams budget

Co-leader of the Social Democrats Róisín Shortall has slammed the budget as a “failure” to target resources with high-income earners “benefiting disproportionately.”

She said the tax changes announced are perhaps the most acute example of this and also said every household, no matter how wealthy, will receive the same €600 payment in energy credits.

She said the €500 one-off cost-of-disability payment is completely misjudged.

She added: "The vacant homes tax, proposed by the government, is especially pathetic. It amounts to just 0.3% of the value of homes.”

People Before Profit TD, Richard Boyd Barrett TD said it is "nauseating" that the Government has chosen to allow energy companies to "continue to profiteer at the expense of ordinary people.”

He said the budget offers to put "a few sticking plasters on the gaping wound" of the housing and cost-of-living crises, he said, insisting that this "will not stop the bleeding.”