Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, called Budget 2021 “a piecemeal budget with small morsels for the people”.
Deputy Pringle said: “Realistically, there is nothing in today’s budget that will make much of a difference to the majority of people in Ireland. And it is disappointing, though not surprising, to see that Donegal remains ‘the forgotten county’ in Budget 2021.
“Where is the investment in Donegal for public transport? Where is the investment for infrastructure that supports working from home in rural Ireland?”
He said: “Covid-19 has exposed the damage of the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Green policies: Under-resourcing of our health service; inequities of a two-tier health system; the lack of affordable, adequate, and appropriate housing; working conditions in our meat factories; the inhumane conditions in Direct Provision centres; the lack of infrastructure for working from home, particularly in rural areas with poor broadband.
“This budget as proposed does little to address these crucial issues. Instead, it is another missed opportunity from this haphazard Government,” he said.