It is a fundamental flaw in Sinn Féin's entire approach.

Sinn Féin ignores the fact that every year fewer people are renting out houses. A ban would have a detrimental effect, in particular over three years. Sinn Féin needs to get real in terms of people leaving the market.

Why are people giving up? Why do they not want to let out houses anymore?

No, it is not. It is because of the endless vilification that people like Deputy Ó Broin and others pile upon people on an ongoing basis.

There is a 2% limit on rents in rent pressure zones. That is the reality. We have brought in a rent credit. We have allocated €400 million. Sinn Féin would allocate €300 million in respect of a credit of €1,500. The figures do not add up. We have provided €400 million for credits amounting to €1,000 - €500 this year and €500 next year. Sinn Féin only allocated €300 million.

Deputy Ó Broin's figures do not add up.

I do not agree. I take the opposite view. I have already articulated to the House what the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council stated about the budget. If we apply the ESRI's simulating welfare, income tax, childcare and health, SWITCH, model, the budget gives most to those who need it most. Those in the lowest income cohort are getting the most from the cost-of-living package and the core budget measures for 2023. That is in net disposable income. The lowest income groups will get the most from this budget. In terms of …

-----and see that it adds up to a significant level of support for people in what is a very difficult situation.

To be fair, one would have to acknowledge the very significant moves in childcare, with a reduction of 25% in costs, on top of significant measures last year that culminated in the employment regulation order agreed between the unions and employers in the childcare sector. That was a substantial breakthrough that has been acknowledged by the social partners in respect of improving working conditions within the childcare sector. In addition, in this budget, we are taking meaningful steps to improve affordability for…

Again, I do not think it is fair to look at that in isolation. I would point out the enormous supports the Government is giving to young people in respect of affordable housing. More than €1.3 billion of investment will support an overall package of measures to deliver thousands of affordable houses next year by helping people buy and rent at an affordable rate, such as the first-home affordable purchase shared equity scheme that has been introduced, with €50 million allocated to that. There will be close to 1,000 …

I agree the problem lies with the rogue behaviour. The core issue is people's bad behaviour in providing such defective materials. It fundamentally comes down to trust in people who build houses. I think everyone would have to acknowledge the scale of the intervention, which is a generous intervention by the State because we want to help people keep a roof over their head, given their first investment in their house or apartment is one they made in good faith. The levy will not, in any shape or form, ever raise the…

First, the Deputy is correct to say it was raised in the Dáil.

Deputy Christopher Sullivan raised the issue of the decision of the Mental Health Commission to put a restriction on the registration of the mental health care and recovery approval centre at Bantry General Hospital, reducing the centre's total number of registered beds from 18 to 11. As the Deputy knows, the HSE has appealed that now and it is in the District Court. I will come back to that in a second. People in Bantry were quite happy that morning in August when I visited. I got a good welcome there. I do not th…

I do not think the Deputy should call into question the integrity or honourable motivation that Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan applies to this work. He has been a very strong advocate for Bantry General Hospital and continues to be.

Deputy Collins knows that and should acknowledge it.

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan fights very hard for west Cork more generally and he was very anxious that I would visit Bantry General Hospital.

It does mean something to the people who work in a hospital and so on that Government Members visit and listen. Deputy Collins knows the endoscopy and stroke units are happening. Much design work has to go into all these projects. They will happen, just as other investments happened in Bantry General Hospital. The stroke units have been very effective across the country and they will make a big difference. The endoscopy suite will also make a big difference. They are welcome developments in themselves. As regards m…

-----we also need to develop community and primary care centres.

In the midst of all the noise that surrounds the budget these days, it is important to step back and look at the direction of our economy and its ability to support strong public services. It is remarkable how rarely in the past two and a half years the Opposition has even mentioned the economy, and now that we have secured a rapid increase in employment levels, even parties which like to pretend to be the voice of workers have nothing whatsoever to say about employment. There is a fundamental divide in this House …

Carbon taxes are an essential part of a credible plan to tackle climate change. That is a simple fact. Therefore, we will never agree with Sinn Féin’s opposition to carbon taxes. They are essential to both changing behaviour and funding a fair and inclusive transition to a sustainable economic and environmental model. This policy is the shared view of this Government and, just as importantly, it is critical to meeting the historic challenge of limiting climate change. As we agreed in the programme for Government, e…