The Taoiseach has clarified that there will not be an increase of 17%. He is giving that commitment to the Dáil now that the Government will not be putting forward an increase of 17%. I welcome that if that is the case. Awards here are four times higher than in the UK, so it would be a regressive move. If the Government is not doing that, that is welcome. The Taoiseach gave a history lesson on the legislation relating to this but the Judicial Council committee itself said that it could not carry out any meaningful …

Looking at strengthening the powers of the CCPC is no good. You have to actually act when you are in government. The Government has been looking at strengthening its powers for years but it has not done it. The Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, asking it to do a review like it did in 2023, which did not achieve anything as the Government had not given it extra powers, will not produce anything different this time. Families all over the country are struggling to keep their heads above water. Every week it is a chall…

Does the Taoiseach have the political guts to make supermarkets publish their profits and have full transparency? This is what I asked him about. Does he have the political guts to actually answer the question I put to him? We are talking about parents skipping meals so their children can eat. We are talking about situations where a child cannot go to a friend's birthday because there is not money for a present. Is the Taoiseach going to address these things? The Agri-Food Regulator last year wrote to the Governmen…

Why have you not done it?

It does not have enough powers.

Does it have enough powers?

Does it have the powers to do its job?

I extend our sympathies to all the family and colleagues of Brother Kevin Crowley. He is someone who gave his life to serve others. The Minister did not tell people during the general election campaign that a vote for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael would be a vote to increase college fees. The Minister has been asked twice about this issue. I will ask him a third time. What fees will students have to pay in September? Will it be €2,000 or €3,000? It is a simple, straightforward question that the Minister has been asked …

There is now complete disarray and open revolt in the Government over student fees. Last night, the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, announced he was not happy about this mess. He said he signed up to a programme for Government that clearly promised to reduce fees. He described the threat to increase them by €1,000 as a scud missile nobody was expecting. Can the Minister stop the pretence that what is going on is part of the normal budgetary process? Nobody is buying that spin, not even the Ministers of…

We have heard enough bluster on this issue. The Government made a commitment in writing, in black and white, to reduce student fees. Will the Government uphold that commitment?

Will the Minister answer the question concerning what fees will be in September?

What will fees be in September? Will they be €2,000 or €3,000? This is the fourth time the Minister has been asked that question so could he give a direct answer to that question? What will students and their families be hit with in September? Can the Minister answer that question? In terms of dismissing things, it seems as if this Government is dismissing what it promised students and their families it would do in the programme for Government, namely, to reduce student fees. It seems the Minister is dismissing the…

During the election campaign, Fianna Fáil and its coalition partners, Fine Gael, promised to phase out student fees. That is what they promised in their manifesto. The programme for Government promised to reduce student fees. The Government is now breaking the promises it made and is saying the reason it is doing this is because of economic uncertainty. I do take economic uncertainty and risks very seriously. The Social Democrats warned during the election that it was completely irresponsible to promise a whole ran…

Did the Minister only discover the economic risks and threats posed by the Trump Administration after the election in Ireland took place? That is a very serious question. To justify breaking promises on the basis of the threats posed by the Trump Administration, when it was already in place and we knew that Administration posed huge threats to our economy by the time of our election, and then use that as an excuse for breaking promises after the election does not cut it with people. It does not cut it to have stude…

I move amendment No. 3: In page 3, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following: “ Report into differential rates for owners of multiple properties 3. The Minister shall within six months from the passing of this Act prepare and lay before Dáil Eireann a report on the potential introduction of differential rates of local property tax on residential properties under this Act and the Principal Act where such properties are owned by persons who: (a) own two or less residential properties; (b) own more than two but…

I thank the Minister for explaining to me the difference between a parliamentary question and an amendment to legislation. I understand the difference but I thank him very much for his generous explanation. This amendment is not a parliamentary question. I am not solely seeking the information the Minister outlined. I am seeking a report on the potential introduction of rate changes in line with the recommendation from the Commission on Taxation and Welfare. The purpose of the amendment is to give the Minister time…

I thank the Minister for being helpful. I assure him that there was absolutely nothing in his tone that caused any offence whatsoever. I am very grateful for the clarification. I am also grateful to the Minister for being very helpful in making my case for me in his response. The exact point that he has made is that there is less volatility in taxation on fixed property than in other forms of taxation or income streams. While there could be some volatility with regard to changes or multiple ownerships, the Minister…

I thank the Minister for getting to his feet to make arguments to support what I am putting forward for a second time. I thank him very much for that. Will he now accept the amendment?

I move amendment No. 5: In page 4, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: “Insertion of new section 10E into Act of 2012 5. The Act of 2012 is amended by the insertion of the following new section after section 10D: “10E. A residential property that is in an area that has yet to be taken in charge by a local authority shall have a 50 per cent reduction applied to its local property tax liability.”.”. This amendment is connected to the issue of taking in charge in what are sometimes newer developments or …

I thank the Minister for his response. I get the overall rationale in terms of not wanting to have an endless list of exemptions because, of course, that would undermine this funding stream. I am not looking for an exemption. What this amendment proposes is a 50% reduction, in the full acknowledgment that in an area where an estate or a development has been built and is not yet taken in charge there is absolutely a benefit to the people living there in terms of the investment from the local authority in the wider i…