The housing model is broken. Vital climate targets are being missed. The cost of living is
soaring. Low pay leaves many unable to make ends meet. Public services that are taken
for granted in our peer countries are either patchy or unavailable.

These crises are strongly interlinked. They pose a fundamental – and sometimes
existential – risk to our capacity to live. That is why this Budget must be generous and
must be seen through the lens of climate action.

This government will be judged on whether it helps households through this winter and,
critically, whether it chooses to help those who have the least.

This isn’t the 1970s. Neither is it the late-2000s nor the early-2010s.

The difference is, in 2023, thanks to the hard work of the people in Ireland, we have the
money to fix the problems holding our country back. The money to prevent families
from facing into this difficult winter with anxiety, fear, and hopelessness.

Labour is proud of our country. The potential of the Irish people is boundless. We
now have the resources – resources past generations could only dream of – to truly
transform our small country into one of the most successful, and fairest, societies in the
world.

For once, we can plan with confidence for a better tomorrow for everyone – but only
if the right choices are made. Government is about making choices. Good GDP and
exchequer figures alone won’t heat homes or put food on the table. Putting public
money to good, responsible use will.

Labour wants an Ireland that works for all – on care, on climate, on housing and on
work.

An Ireland that works for all puts investment to end child poverty over the kinds of tax
cuts that favour those who have the most.

An Ireland that works for all provides the security of a place to call home. A tax system
where those who own the most are asked to contribute more. An education system
that’s free for all. A health service fit for a rich Republic. A childcare system that supports
parents, nurtures our children and respects skilled workers