Pearse Doherty

The Minister promised to reduce energy costs.

I am not shouting.

I am just reminding the Minister of what he said.

The Minister nearly said "childcare" there.

The Government broke that promise too.

3. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of people that have filed an updated valuation for the LPT that have gone up a band; the average additional cost for those households; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64573/25]

The local property tax, LPT, increase kicked in last month. The Government has ensured that virtually every household in the State has experienced a property tax increase. Thousands faced a substantial increase as they were pushed into higher valuation bands. Now that the households that are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis have gotten their letters through the door telling them that thei…

The information the Minister is giving me is outdated, obviously. As he mentioned, it goes back to September. Since then the letters have gone out, the evaluations have been done and the returns have been filed. I assume going from his answer that he does not have information as to what percentage of people actually went up a band. I raise this issue because the Government introduced legislation t…

Does the Minister accept that the legislation that underpins the revaluation increased the bands by 20% and that official statistics in counties such as Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo and Galway also had house prices increasing by 40%? The Minister referenced Revenue date published back in September. It estimated that 15% of all households in Galway would actually increase a band. There will be…

We were phasing it out.

This issue has been raised for many years. We have a new finance Minister. I would like a bit of straight talking from this finance Minister about his position. We are all appalled by the genocide that we have seen before our eyes with 70,000 people slaughtered. Deputy Carthy talked about one company. When accusations were put to the CEO of that company that his equipment was involved in the killi…

I am hoping the Tánaiste would make the statement and join the rest.

It is not decent to invest in genocide. I am clear that it is not decent to invest in genocide and I think the Tánaiste would be stretching it to suggest-----

I am not shouting the Tánaiste down. I am just telling him it is not decent to invest in genocide.

I accept that the Minister for Finance-----

The Tánaiste is asking questions.

We have legislation. The Government is blocking it in the committee.

If they are involved in genocide in genocide, the answer is very simple, yes.

If they are involved in genocide, yes. I think any decent person would say the same thing.

The Tánaiste did not answer any questions I put to him. At least Paschal answered the questions-----

-----yet the Tánaiste is giving me lectures on democracy.

I welcome to the Visitors Gallery the group of women, including Patricia Walsh, from Rock Street, Tralee, which I am told is the street of champions. They are very welcome to Teach Laighean inniu. Cuirim fáilte rompu. Ar phríomhleathanach an Irish Daily Mail inniu, tuairiscítear bhfuil sé ráite ag an Tánaiste go gcuirfidh sé airgead ar ais i bpócaí na ndaoine. Gheall an Tánaiste roimhe seo go mbe…

Does the Tánaiste accept that his €9.4 billion budget has left ordinary workers and families worse off? Does he accept that what he is promising in the Irish Daily Mail today is directly contradicted by his own litany and record of broken promises? Will he now commit to a real cost-of-living reset, including the immediate restoration of the energy credits, €10 a day childcare, a ban on rent increa…

Maybe the Tánaiste should read his own ESRI research.

I am referring to the Government’s own economic research body. What does it say about the budget? It states there will be income losses next year across the board. It states these will be even higher for those on lower incomes, affecting their disposable income. It states this will lead inevitably to reductions in household living standards in 2026. That is what the Tánaiste has been able to achie…