A welcome announcement at least was made in the budget in October that this Government would plan to transfer responsibility for collecting derelict sites levies to the Revenue Commissioners and, from then on, the levy would be known as a tax, given the fact that it would be collected by the Revenue Commissioners. This is a welcome development and something for which I have been campaigning and advocating for many years. One of the key things in this regard is that the revenue collected ought to be dispersed direct…

There is concern at official level in local authorities that it may not be the case that the revenue collected will be dispersed directly back to the local authorities where the subject sites are present. The Minister will understand those concerns. I draw some analogies between the transfer of the household charge, which the Minister will recall from the early 2010s, to the local property tax and how compliance improved. In fact, the transformation of the household charge to the property tax was quite successful f…

The Minister will know how this works. He will know about the ineffective nature of the Derelict Sites Act and the need for reform in that space. When a local authority identifies an owner of a derelict site or property and, after due process, decides to place that site on a register, the individual may decide to contest that. It then becomes complicated. He or she may potentially challenge the designation of a derelict site through the courts and communities become frustrated. Dereliction itself is an absolute sco…

At the outset, I will say to the Minister that words count and leadership matters. I thank the Minister for calling out the inhumanity and cruelty that is so sadly being imported into this country and mimicked by some of those who should know better. Those people need to act and behave with more responsibility in respect of their fellow citizens. As with everyone else in our State, the level of access trans people have to healthcare depends at least in part on the attitude of their medical professionals. We cannot …

Hear, hear.

I thank the Independent Technical Group for tabling this motion. It is an issue close to my heart and it is personal. I welcome, like other colleagues, those who have gathered in the Gallery this morning. They are people who have taken enormous personal risks to do what is right. Not only have they all served the people in their roles as civil and public servants, but they have doubly served the people by taking risks to expose wrongdoing in their places of work. They have been at the forefront, whether they believ…

You got lucky.

A medium-term framework.

I move amendment No. 2: In page 8, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following: "Report on taxation and cost of indexation 4. The Minister and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation shall include in their Summer Economic Statement in each year a report setting out the estimated cost to the Exchequer of adjusting— (a) tax rate bands and tax credits and allowances in relation to income tax, and (b) benefits and allowances payable under the Social Welfare Act…

I move amendment No. 3: In page 8, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following: “Report on employee share ownership trusts 4. The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before Dáil Éireann on any proposals to amend Chapter 2 of Part 17 and Schedule 12 of the Principal Act, relating to employee share ownership trusts, so as to facilitate the establishment of a greater number of such trusts and their smooth and efficient functioning.”. My colleague, Deputy Lawlor, will be contr…

Paschal’s new pastures.

Far be it from me to answer a question for the Tánaiste but it would be technically difficult to make that change mid-year. That aside, the case is well made for removing Russia from the scheme. As Deputy O'Callaghan and others have said, we are concerned that it has managed to remain as a state covered by the scheme despite the illegal invasion of Ukraine and the illegal activities and war crimes being perpetrated against the Ukrainian people by the Russian state. The Tánaiste said that in the year for which we ha…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this resolution for a number of reasons. The Labour Party's position on the resolution brought forward on budget night in respect of the proposal to cut VAT for apartment developers was well rehearsed on that night and on Committee Stage of the Finance Bill a couple of short weeks ago. We sought to make the point on budget night and introduced amendments that were, unfortunately, ruled out of order that we are required to comply with the VAT directive. There was an attempt to d…

I intend to focus my contribution on asking some questions about the statement the Minister of State made outlining this proposition and, in general terms, what the Supplementary Estimates are designed to support. A total Revised Estimate of €3.31 million was provided for tribunals of inquiry in 2025. We are talking about third-party costs for the Moriarty tribunal. The updated Estimate is €6.785 million in 2025 for third-party costs involving the Moriarty tribunal. That is a funding requirement now that is being r…

Whom is the money going to?

I acknowledge that the Minister of State may not have the information available, or maybe she was not prepared to put it on the record today. If, however, it is the case that she has that information, which she will have, or at least the NTMA will, can the Minister of State forward the information in writing to each finance spokesperson and members of the committee to let them know, to inform us, as to precisely what the breakdown of the additional Supplementary Estimate will go towards?

It has not, no.

We were told this morning that this Supplementary Estimate would be brought in. This is no way to run a railroad anyway.

It is bloody ridiculous.

No, it is not the briefs. We were informed only this morning, in fact, that this Supplementary Estimate, this resolution, would be introduced.