POLITICAL REACTION:The Minister for Finance was compared to Homer Simpson this evening after he delivered his Budget in the Dáil.
Fine Gael finance spokesman Richard Bruton said Mr Cowen's speech made many promises but the Irish people were sceptical of whether those vows would be delivered.
Richard Bruton
Referring to a quote from Homer Simpson, Mr Bruton said: "'Making promises makes me a good father', he said, but the worldly wise Lisa said: 'Keeping promises is what would make you a good father.'
"And that's the test. Today's Budget undoubtedly passes the Homer Simpson test of being a good Budget but the Irish people have grown sceptical like Lisa Simpson.
"They want to see their money deliver results and the main result that this Budget has an eye to, unfortunately, is the outcome of the next General Election."
Mr Cowen was still on his feet delivering his second Budget in the Dáil when it was met with the jeers and condemnation of opposition parties.
Labour's finance spokeswoman Joan Burton said the childcare package shows the Government is "out-of-touch" with the needs of young families.
Mr Cowen announced a package of measures for providing 50,000 childcare places over the next five years with tax reliefs for providers in the home.
He increased the child benefit to €150 for the first two children and €185 for subsequent children. And in a new departure, parents of children under six will receive a €,1000 per year payment irrespective of earnings and free from tax or other levies.
He also announced an extra eight weeks paid maternity leave and eight week unpaid entitlement by 2007.
Ms Burton said the child-centered Budget supporting parental choice which had been touted before today had not been delivered.
A recent poll showed the average cost of a full-time creche to be €724 per month, Ms Burton said. "Offering €83 per month shows how out of touch this Government is," she said.
"This Government has ignored the childcare problem for years. Now that it has finally been forced to act, it is clear that it has no idea of the real requirements of today's young families," she added.
Finian McGrath, speaking on behalf of the Independent TDs in the Dail, said people had been disappointed by many of the Government's previous budgets.
"It is not acceptable or right to have people on waiting lists in a strong and healthy economy. That's the Independent Deputies' bottom line and that is our broader vision," he said.
"We want to make inclusion a reality for all of our citizens. We have had enough of old guff over eight years."
Sinn Féin's Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin the Budget contained some overdue measure to address inequality but he said such measures should have begun in 1997.
He said the big weakness in the Budget was on healthcare. He criticised the extension of the tax break for the building of private hospitals and the failure to provide funding for primary healthcare centres which he said would have helped alleviate the A&E crisis.
He also criticised the failure to provide for the 3,000 additional acute hospital beds and to extend the medical card scheme to all under-18s.
"There is total incoherence on the part of this Government on this key area of social provision," he said.
Additional reporting PA