We have been through two weeks of dreadful weather, most recently with Storm Franklin, with severe weather conditions right across the west coast and elsewhere. For families whose homes are affected by mica and pyrite, it has been a very frightening and anxious time. Their homes are already crumbling. Families and their children are fearful of what they could wake up to. Those of us in safe homes slept in the comfort of knowing we were safe as the storm raged outside but many families and children who went to sleep…

Tairgim: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — workers and families face a cost-of-living crisis; — inflation and rising prices disproportionately impact the living standards of lower-income households, with low- and middle-income households spending a higher proportion of their income on food, electricity and home heating than higher-income households; — in the 12 months to January: — the price of gas has increased by 28 per cent; — the price of home heating has increased by 50 per cent; — the price of petrol has incre…

It is definitely not a 2% increase.

Gabhaim buíochas le achan duine a labhair ar an rún seo anocht. I thank all the Deputies for their contributions so far. I have listened to the points that have been made from all sides. My understanding of the carbon tax the Minister announced on budget day is it would be legislated for in the Finance Act 2021. That included increases out to 2030. That vote took place on 2 December 2021. I looked at the record because I wondered why the Rural Independent Group Members were protesting so much that we did not vote a…

The Minister can shake his head all he wants, but many people are fed up with the type of politics he is doing and the pressure he is putting on ordinary families.

We just discussed how the Minister for Finance is going to continue to push up tax on ordinary families in the form of carbon tax, despite them being pushed to the pins of their collars because of the cost-of-living crisis. I ask him to explain to the House why he is not going to allow the vulture and cuckoo funds to pay any tax on their incomes from rent or any capital gains tax, CGT. Are these tax advantages available to Irish real estate funds, IREFs, and real estate investment trusts, REITs, for the purchase of…

The Minister did not answer my question concerning whether these tax provisions will apply to the purchase of new and existing housing stock. The housing crisis, as I have said on many occasions, is not an accident. It is a direct consequence of the policies of the Minister's party, and of the decisions made by that party and by its partners in government, Fianna Fáil. It is an outcome of a decade of underinvestment and has resulted in a chronic shortage of affordable housing. This fact is undermining our economic …

The Minister has again refused to answer the question because the facts are terrible for him. These funds, which he ensures pay no corporation tax, and which in some cases have rental income of €61 million, pay no CGT when they dispose of their assets. No other Irish company can enjoy that advantage. No other individual who rents out properties can enjoy it. The Minister, though, has created a nice wee sweetheart deal for these IREFs and REITs. Other landlords will have to pay corporation tax at 25% and there will …

They want to see the funds paying.

It is a sweetheart deal.

The Minister is changing the subject. On the floor of the Dáil he cannot defend his own policy of a sweetheart tax deal.

The Minister thinks it is dangerous to ask who pays tax, and not fleece people in this market and push up house prices.

For years, citizens with severe and permanent disabilities have been denied access to personal transport through the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme, a scheme the Minister has been responsible for since 2017. In October, the entire board of appeal resigned due to his inaction. This board assessed appeals from citizens who were rejected under the scheme. They resigned en masse . Will the Minister outline the engagements he had with the board, including the first engagement, and the actions he took to…

The Minister has been responsible for this scheme since 2017. I asked him when the engagements happened. He said there were ongoing engagements in 2020. Was that the first time the board of appeal raised concerns with him? Can he indicate to the House the first time he was made aware that the members would not continue to operate this scheme because of its discriminatory nature or the concerns they had with it? What action did he take following his being alerted to that? There have been severe consequences of inact…

It is still not clear when the board first raised concerns about this. It appears the Minister has only met the board once in the five years he has held responsibility. Maybe he can clarify that. Forget about the board of appeals. Has the Ombudsman not been raising this directly with the Minister? The Ombudsman made clear that he wrote to the Minister for Finance and the Minister with responsibility for disability matters in 2017 repeating concerns about the eligibility criteria having a particularly narrow focus a…

We have debated long and hard the impact of carbon taxes and the failure of the Minister to reach out to his colleagues in the European Commission to speak about the potential of reducing VAT. This has not happened, despite the fact I raised it with the Minister in September. Deputy Carroll MacNeill rightly points out the Minister brought forward a tax package. The largest part of that package, which she did not mention, cost €340 million and 80% of earners were left out of it. It was the most expensive part of the…

Will the Minister of State outline to the House the meetings he has had with insurance stakeholders over the past period?

Small businesses and community groups right across the State continue to suffer from unaffordable insurance premiums. The action plan on insurance reform committed that the general scheme of legislation to balance the duty of care would be brought before the Government by June 2021. That deadline was missed. In July 2021, the implementation report committed that the general scheme would be submitted in September 2021. Again, that deadline was missed. What is the current status of the work by the Department to refor…

Our economy and communities will be unable to bounce back sustainably from the pandemic unless all sectors and businesses of all sizes can resume activity in a stable and supportive environment. The insurance crisis is having an impact on that. If you talk to businesses, you hear that time and again. Reform is moving at a snail’s pace. The personal injuries guidelines adopted last year saw personal injuries awards fall by 50% within three months of taking effect, yet we all know that insurers are not passing on tho…

I do not know if the Minister is aware of what is happening out in the real world. She has spoken about the action plan and so on. Businesses and community groups are not seeing a reduction. The vast majority are seeing increases in their insurance premiums. That is not just me talking. I ask the Minister to talk to the campaigners in the Alliance for Insurance Reform who represent a wide section of society. They have told the Minister time and time again that they have carried out surveys. We can see it in the sta…