I agree with Deputy Devlin on the answer that was given about antisocial behaviour on public transport. It is appalling that such an attitude would even be suggested. Public transport is safe, and in circumstances where it is not safe or any kind of issue is developing, I absolutely expect Iarnród Éireann and the Garda would do all they can to respond to the issue. A working group on this matter has been in place since May of this year. I am confident, given the way this issue was raised publicly and given the Depu…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." We are here to start our consideration of the Finance Bill 2021, which will give the necessary legal basis to the decisions announced in the budget and make a number of other necessary changes to tax legislation. The budget addressed the major issues facing Ireland: climate change, Covid and housing. In this budget we aim to support households, families, individuals and businesses to deal with the current challenges and to look to the future with more optimism. Beg…

I will not be accused by the Deputy of the language that I have used being a threat to democracy. I ask her to withdraw that.

I did.

I very much appreciate the contributions Deputies have made during an important Second Stage debate on the Finance Bill. I will structure my comments based on some of the themes that I have heard. I will begin with the climate crisis, move on to the cost of living and then talk about where we are from an employment point of view. I will then respond to some specific points that were made in the debate, including by Deputies Boyd Barrett, O'Donoghue, Shortall, Connolly, Tóibín and Martin Kenny. I want to begin with …

It is the party's policy on taxation. I understand why such charges always provoke this reaction from Sinn Féin.

It is because it is the truth. The only measure that the party has would benefit the most valuable houses and those who own them. On the question of where our economy stands, I welcome the support from many on the impact of the EWSS and the CRSS, as well as the PUP. These protected employers, those who work for them and income at a time the pandemic was at its very worst. Those measures laid the foundation for what is now being seen with the falling numbers receiving the PUP. Those measures have laid the foundation…

Deputy O'Donoghue's comments on aviation were perhaps the most extraordinary I have heard made by a Deputy from Limerick and the mid-west make in some time. I hope those who work in Shannon Airport and who depend on a living from aviation in his county and region, and who work in tourism who are eager to see the return of international tourists to our shores and who recognise the value of aviation in doing that, heard Deputy O'Donoghue's comments this evening. The comments he made about aviation and airlines pertai…

These were the measures that led to the reopening of our hospitality sector. These were the measures that led to tens of thousands of people being able to go back to work during the summer period. The use of those certificates and those public health measures-----

-----in particular across the summer period that led to the parts of our economy, which the Deputy claims to champion, being able to reopen.

I acknowledge the fact that many children cannot practise the sports they want, as the Deputy correctly said. I accept this is something - health permitting - we want to change. However, the Deputy's credibility on those matters is continually and gravely undermined-----

-----given his sustained opposition to measures that allowed our country to safely reopen for a period of time, notwithstanding the significant challenge we still face-----

-----in regard to Covid and the worrying figures the House is, of course, aware of with the increase in the community transmission of Covid in recent weeks.

I listened to the debate this evening and remained for it, as I should. This Finance Bill is within a context that is very different from the one introduced a year ago. While we are correct to continue to have a sense of anxiety and a focus on the current level of Covid and how we can reduce it further, this is also a health context that is fundamentally different from a year ago due to a vaccination programme that was implemented exceptionally by our public health professionals, which this Government oversaw and p…

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)( a ) and 181(1).

I thank the Senator for the issues he has raised on behalf of Senator Higgins. I look forward to debating these matters with her directly on Report Stage. I will go through the different issues the Senator raised. The first relates to the eligibility criteria and whether it is appropriate that any government be in the position of selling off its share in an asset it currently publicly owns. That did not happen here in Ireland. Our ports, airports and infrastructure went into the global financial crisis publicly own…

I do not propose to accept this amendment to add a new section 8 to the Bill. This amendment provides for the publication of a report outlining details on two separate matters: first, measures taken to ensure appropriate safeguards and separation between ESM co-operation with the EU Commission in the area of policy; and second, ESM engagement with private citizens. I will say a word about each in turn. On the first matter, my understanding of the objective of the proposed amendment is to gain assurances via the pro…

This amendment will provide for the publication of a report outlining where compliance with EU fiscal criteria has precluded public investment or required public services or infrastructure to be delivered off balance sheet with the additional costs associated with such short-term expenditure versus long-term investment. It is important to recognise the EU fiscal rules do not limit the level of Government expenditure, nor do they require infrastructure to be delivered off balance sheet. Additional public investment …

The purpose of this legislation is to seek the approval of the Oireachtas to ratify two amending agreements agreed by the Eurogroup last November, with the objective of strengthening the crisis resolution capabilities of the euro area. In summary, the two amending agreements provided for the reform of the European Stability Mechanism, ESM, as well as the introduction of the common backstop to the Single Resolution Fund, SRF, from January 2022, two years ahead of schedule. I will provide more detail on the content o…

I thank the Acting Chairperson and I thank the Senators for their contributions. I wish to emphasise the two overriding objectives of this legislation in my concluding comments. The first one is the priority of trying to ensure that if there is a further banking difficulty, the taxpayer is protected from that, and the money that the banking sector contributes into what will eventually become a mutual fund is the source of support and intervention for European banks as opposed to what happened in the past where it w…