Commuter belt families will be hit hardest by Budget
Issued : Tuesday 7 April, 2009
Statement by Nessa Childers MEP
“Brian Lenihan’s Budget will hit those living in the commuter belt counties of Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Louth hardest,” said Nessa Childers, Labour’s MEP candidate in Ireland East (Leinster), this evening.
“The commuter belt, or ‘mid east’ as much of it is known by the CSO, had the largest increase in the country in the Live Register over the past twelve months. And while those people queue up for their Dole this week, there is no bailout for them. Yet they can look across the road at vast tracts of land bought with money borrowed against imagined buildings and know that the Government has bailed out the banks and developers yet again.
“There is no bailout for the family struggling to pay the mortgage on two dole cheques, but a total bailout for high flying bankers and Fianna Fáil’s developer friends.
“What those living in the commuter belt counties wanted to hear today was that there was a clear plan to get new jobs into the country. Two factors that have recently prevented businesses from locating in commuter belt counties are broadband and water quality & capacity. High tech industries need very fast broadband to ensure they are connected to their customers and other offices, while industries like pharmaceutical production need large quantities of clean water.
“Unfortunately, the vague references to job creation in the Budget fell wide of the mark. Neither issue was addressed in the slightest by this Budget. If Brian Lenihan and Brian Cowen are serious about creating jobs and attracting major international investment to this country, then these are the types of investment that are needed.
“If the Government aren’t willing to take on this challenge, then there are plenty of others who will. As Joan Burton said today, in this country we have “lions being led by donkeys”. There are thousands of lions who would gladly make a meaningful sacrifice if only the donkeys would get out of the way.”
