This is a government who would stand up for the constituents the Minister feigns sympathy for when they tell him they struggle to make ends meet.

That is what we would do. We would be a government that would-----

-----put those individuals into homes, instead of introducing higher rents.

The Minister does not like to hear the truth.

The Minister is not entitled to come back in.

It is a point of order.

This throws into stark contrast the discussions we had earlier. We had discussions about cross-Border workers and the Minister spoke about equity and fairness among taxpayers. Many people would ask a question about that in respect of the SARP policy being pursued by the Government. It has been said previously by me, Deputy Boyd Barrett and others, and this is probably a reflection on us in the Opposition, that if people knew this tax measure existed, there would be uproar. This is a special tax rate that only peopl…

The Minister has taken out his big, bad wolf script again about how terrible things would be if Sinn Féin's policies were accepted. He wants us to thank him for this provision for these special people, which is not my language but his. This provision is called the special assignee relief programme. The Minister named them special, not me. This provision for these special people, who make up 0.5% of the highest income earners, is really being done for the butcher, the baker and the teacher. We need to give the tax c…

The Minister does not like the truth.

The Minister does not have the floor. This is for the benefit of the butcher, so please thank the Minister for Finance. They just do not understand the reason we give these tax cuts to what the Minister has called these special people.

The Minister does not like the truth. I will tell him this - the butchers and teachers I know are not thankful that the Minister is cutting the tax rates of those millionaires and thinking that it is for their benefit. They know exactly what is at stake here. Dr. Micheál Collins appeared before the Committee on Budgetary Oversight and said that the special assignee relief programme beneficiaries would have an average income of at least €313,000. That would put them in the top 0.5% of earnings distribution. He said:…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Ar dtús báire ba mhaith liom tréaslú leo uilig atá ag troid ar son an chirt maidir leis an scannal míoca agus pirít, agus an ceart acu agus fios acu caidé mar atá ceart agus cóir. Níl dabht ar bith go raibh fáilte acu roimh cuid de na ceannlínte a bhí á bhfógairt maidin inniu, is é sin 100% tacaíochta, ach nuair a amharcann siad ar na sonraí ansin tá imní ar go leor teaghlach i nDún na nGall agus níos faide. Ba mhaith liom go bhfreagródh an Taoiseach cúpla ceist fá dt…

The devil is always in the detail. These families are going through an absolutely terrible situation. You can never realise it until you are invited into their homes, where they tell you their own story and let you into their own personal scenario. We need to ensure this scheme is fit for purpose. I have asked the Taoiseach a simple question. I have the SCSI calculator and I have just entered into it a 2,300 sq. ft home in the north west. The calculator says that it would cost €334,000 to build. These are the same …

They still have to find the €50,000-----

That is not the approach the Government signed off on.

The Taoiseach is misleading the Dáil. The SCSI does not have a drop down of €110.

He is hiding behind the SCSI which does not come up with the costing he has come up with.

Last Tuesday, the Tánaiste said a memorandum would be brought to the Cabinet last week or early this week on the subsidisation of antigen testing. It did not happen on either occasion. Last Wednesday, the Taoiseach said his Government was committed to providing subsidised antigen testing and, yesterday, the Minister for Health said he is ditching plans to subsidise antigen testing because the market has solved the problem for the Government. However, the price of an antigen test in many places is still anything up …

We do not all live beside the multiples.

My question was on what is affordable.