I would like to extend season's greetings to all Mayo people at home and abroad, and especially those who are in hospital, or on their own, or those who are missing a loved one this Christmas.
Looking back on 2009, there have been several achievements for the benefit of Mayo and its people. The Joe Langan Sports Hall at Davitt College, Castlebar, is finally under construction, and the green light has been given for the new Gaelscoil na Cruaiche in Westport. The upgrading of the ESB supply into Westport is now almost completed, while GMIT has signed a co-operation agreement with Nanchang University in China which will have significant benefits for Castlebar and the college campus.
The Budget brought good news for the farming community in that the REPS scheme is to be replaced with an agri environment scheme which will provide the same contribution to farm incomes. The seven family resource centres in Mayo have been saved from closure. In health matters, considerable progress has been made in securing a new oncology unit for Mayo General Hospital. There are over 100 attendances each week for oncology treatments at MGH, and a new purpose built unit is urgently required.
The Irish economy has undergone a major contraction this year and those who have been hardest hit are those who have lost their jobs. The closure of firms like Casey Auto and the bleak news for the 70 workers at APC that their jobs are to go, brings home to us the severity of the recession. Many employers are struggling to do their best by their staff even if that means reduced hours, cutbacks in overtime, or in many cases straight pay cuts. Other small businesses have had no choice but to lay off their staff completely.
Our first priority must be to get these people back to work, but to do that we need a sustainable economy. We must make ends meet in our public finances. We cannot continue to borrow €400 million each week, every week, to bridge the gap between our revenue and our outgoings.
To that end, this month's Budget took hard decisions. But they were taken out of necessity. Public sector pay was cut not by choice, but by that necessity. No employer - Government or otherwise - would want to reduce the pay of its workers if there was any alternative.
Many social welfare rates have been cut, meaning that the steady increases given each year over the past six years, when times were good, could not be continued. Our prosperity brought benefits to all, and it is worth noting that even after the Budget cuts, things will still be much better for social recipients. For example, both unemployment and disability benefit will have gone up from €124.80 in 2003 to €196 in 2010; carer's allowance under 66 from €129.60 to €212; for over 66, from €147.80 to €239; and carer's benefit from €139.70 to €213. And all of these increases are well ahead of the rate of inflation.
There is every sign that the difficult decisions we have taken will stabilise our finances and provide the foundation for recovery. By next year, Ireland should be back to growth, employment will be on the rise, international confidence will have returned, our markets will be buoyant again.
We will have come through the worst recession in our lifetime. But we will be able to offer new prosperity to this and succeeding generations of our people.
