On section 2, which deals with the rate of charge in relation to USC, this is not the way the tax package should have been introduced and I will speak to this point more generally in respect of my own amendment. There absolutely was, however, a fairer way to do that. We in Sinn Féin have put on the record that if we have the opportunity to lead the next Government, we will exempt the first €45,000 of income that everybody in the State earns from the USC tax net. That means the average worker in the State will never…

What is the Minister's view of middle income? He talked about middle-income workers and all the rest. Will he clarify to the House his definition of "middle income"? Does he use CSO data for example, which tells us that the median income in 2023 was €43,221? I am sure people would accept that definition of "middle income". However, as the CSO tells us, that excludes everybody who works fewer than 50 weeks. There are people in all of our constituencies, whether they are the school caretaker or otherwise, who do not …

I have two questions. The Minister talks about his tax package. I will answer the question he put to me. I would introduce a tax package that is fair. If I get the opportunity to sit where he is, as Minister for Finance, I will abolish the USC for average workers across the State. I will ensure that average workers never pay a tax introduced at that time by Fianna Fáil. I will ensure every worker benefits from that because the first €45,000 will be exempt from USC. That is what I will do, and I will make sure it is…

I do not want to labour the point, but while I welcome the fact that the Minister acknowledges median income in 2023 was €43,000, he should acknowledge that the CSO does that for comparable data purposes. I can read to him the email the CSO provided to me. That is only for workers who are employed for 50 weeks or more in the year. It excludes all workers who left their job during the year. It also excludes seasonal workers and it probably excludes the people who clean the schools in his constituency. It excludes a …

The Minister is right that they benefit from the USC. He gave them €59. Let us just settle on that.

I am fine.

I am the sponsor of amendment No. 3, which seeks a report on abolishing USC on the first €45,000 of the income of all workers. I made the point earlier on that we are going into a general election and if I have the honour of going into government, that is exactly what I would do within the first two years as Minister for Finance. There would be no USC paid by average workers in this State ever again and all workers would benefit from the first €45,000 of their income being exempt from USC. I will make a few points.…

That is fact. There are-----

Let me deal with this. Some 100,000 fewer under-40s own their own homes today compared with when Fine Gael entered government.

That is a fact. Home ownership has collapsed for the under-40s. That is fact. It has fallen by half. When Deputy English talks about wanting to give people a country that gives people the opportunity to come home again, I agree 100%. However, they did not leave because they could not get a job. That is not the reason they are leaving in such numbers. They are leaving because Fine Gael has pushed home ownership out of reach for those individuals. People who, before Fine Gael came into government-----

Fine Gael do not want to hear the truth. That is okay but the Deputy should have a little bit of múineadh, a little bit of manners.

Home ownership has collapsed under Fine Gael. As I have said, 100,000 fewer under-40s own their own homes today than was the case before Fine Gael entered government. The average age at which a person first owns their own home in this State today is 39. All of these kids, these adults, know that their lives are on pause not because they cannot get a job or because the economy is not booming, but because home ownership and family formation is paused for many of them. I have an 18-year-old and a 17-year-old at home. …

With respect, I will not take any lectures from Deputy McAuliffe either. He does not like to hear what the Government parties have done to the young generation of this State. Deputy English talked about giving people hope and an opportunity. I have responded to those comments. I am calling out the bull in the suggestion that people are leaving because of the economy. It is because of housing. The Minister talked about figures, data and new measures. What party goes into a general election planning to fail on housin…

I have submitted many amendments to the Bill. I am wondering why I went through this 274-page document in detail given that the guillotine is looming. I regret that. The Bill should never have been brought out of committee. We should have dealt with the Bill in committee. We have always facilitated the Government in respect of the passage of the legislation. Even when the Government of the time wrecked the country and brought the International Monetary Fund here, we facilitated the passage of legislation. This shou…

We voted against it.

No, we voted against it.

The Deputy was not even here when it was voted on. He did not turn up to vote on the Finance Bill.

Half of the Rural Independents did not turn up for the vote.

Bheadh aon duine a bhí ag léamh na bpáipéar ar maidin buailte leis na scéalta tithíochta agus an méid scéalta atá ann. Insíonn gach ceann acu a scéal féin. Is scéalta iad faoi theipeanna an Rialtais, faoi ghealltanais atá briste agus faoi spriocanna nach bhfuil bainte amach. Is é an rud is tábhachtaí ná gur scéalta iad faoi fíorfhulaingt ghnáthdhaoine na tíre seo. Inniu, cluineann muid go bhfuil níos lú tithe tógtha ag an Rialtas i mbliana go dtí seo ná mar a bhí anuraidh. Tá sé dochreidte. Anybody reading this mor…

That is not true; take it back.