Paschal Donohoe

My officials and I regularly engage with the Central Bank. However, I have not had any engagement recently with the Central Bank on the specific issue the Deputy has raised, which is the issue of tax-based support for housing. The issue in the Irish housing market and so many of the social and economic difficulties that it is now causing are caused by a shortfall in supply. For more than a decade…

I will be meeting our banks to engage with them on the greater role they can play in regard to housing because we all know how much more we need to do. However, I have to recognise two different points. First, the banks are independent of the Government. Second, they are independently regulated. I will be engaging with them to see what further measures we can put in place that lead to more lending…

I absolutely support all of the excellent work that the Minister for housing is doing in looking at what further measures can be put in place to lead to more homes being built. Regarding the Deputy's question, I support looking at ideas that will make more loans and more support available in our economy to lead to more homes being built. However, the Minister for housing and I do not want to see a…

I have answered the Deputy's question.

I thank the Deputy for raising the significant announcements that were made during the night. The Government is initiating a number of steps, but the Deputy will understand that I need to be honest and clear in setting expectations of what we can do. This is a deeply serious issue. Unfortunately, it is a significant moment in how global trade is conducted and what that can mean for jobs, income an…

It is vital that we keep the Dáil informed of this and that all TDs be aware of what is taking place. I am aware that employers and workers in Cork will be feeling particularly worried today. It is something that affects everybody but I am conscious that large life science and medicine producers are located in Cork, many of which have been there for decades. Some very important food and drink manu…

May he rest in peace. Many members of the GAA family in Kildare will be feeling particularly sad today. I thank the Deputy for mentioning that. Regarding the Deputy's constituency, employers like Intel have made a magnificent contribution to the employment and growth of our economy, but they also make an important contribution to the European economy through the work they do in semiconductors and…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 60 and 197 together. Regarding the number and value of bonds sold in Ireland, the Central Bank of Ireland does not regulate the bonds as products and does not collect specific data on the number of bonds sold. The regulatory function of the Central Bank is limited to ensuring that the disclosure document for the offer contains all the necessary information requ…

I absolutely refute the allegations and language used by the Deputies. This Government could not be clearer in our condemnation of the behaviour and loss of life that is taking place in Gaza and the untold suffering those people have endured. We have made that case very prominently within the EU and at a global level. As Minister for Finance, I am obliged to tell the truth about the work that the…

Let me return in a moment to deal with the substantive issue raised by Deputy O’Callaghan but before I do so, I will reply to Deputy Murphy. At a time when we seek to look at how politics can unite people and bring people together, I am reminded again and again that for somebody who claims to be on the left and someone who claims to be part of a movement that is about tolerance and inclusivity, th…

His language consistently looks to demonise those who are acting in good faith. He, in turn, in his own way is a contributor to the decay of standards and how we can engage with each other and debate issues in a way that is respectful. Every time he contributes on such a matter, he does it in a way that seeks to demonise an opponent or deny good faith.

That is the Deputy's contribution. I am responding back to charges he laid against me that I am compelled to respond back to.

On the substantive issue that is being raised here today, I reiterate the clear view of the Government on what has happened in Gaza and the Middle East. However, there are a particular number of responsibilities that the Central Bank is obliged to discharge that are rooted not just in national and EU law and it discharges those responsibilities. The Governor of the Central Bank has outlined that t…

The existing vehicle tax structures in the State have a strong environmental rationale, with the more pollutant, fossil-fuelled cars paying higher rates of tax, between motor tax, benefit in kind, BIK, vehicle registration tax, VRT, and the nitrogen oxide, NOx, charge. In contrast, low-emission cars and electric vehicles, EVs, are subject to lower rates of tax. I know the Deputy will be aware of i…

I appreciate the case the Deputy is making for the further support of EVs. It is interesting to see the growth that has taken place and I hope it will continue in the coming years as EV technology improves and as we do a better job of rolling out the charging network needed to facilitate those who use EVs. We have made reasonable progress but it is very obvious that we need to do even more, partic…

I will certainly take on board what the Deputy said and make sure officials in the Department consider it. I am not doubting for a single moment the impact of the various measures she has suggested or what they could do to enhance the further take-up of EVs. We will certainly consider all of that in the coming weeks and months. I do, however, need to relate it back to the broader environment we ar…

I thank the Deputy for raising this. Just to add to his point, the greatest challenge of all to the livelihoods of those he is raising today is if the changes that happened last night become bigger and permanent and if they fundamentally change how our global economy works. In order to see if we can avoid that happening, we need to have negotiation and engagement with the US, as the Deputy has ack…

To reconfirm to the Deputy, we have already raised the different sectors within the economy. The food and beverage sectors he raised are a really important part of the communities he represents and contribute to his local economy. Those issues have been raised. The Tánaiste formally communicated with the Commission, I believe on Monday, on this, making the case on the food and beverages sector and…

I thank the Deputies for the questions they have raised. The very important companies the Deputy Neville mentioned, Kerry Group and Intel, form an excellent example of making the case for trade because they are also present in the United States of America. They sell there and have a large presence there. I will, on behalf of the communities the Deputies represent and that other colleagues have ra…

Property owners who are experiencing financial difficulty may avail of a wide range of flexible payment options in respect of current local property tax, LPT, liabilities and for any previous years. To answer the Deputy's question on those accessing it, the number is quite low: 0.6% of all taxpayers are accessing it across the years 2023, 2024 and 2025. Ahead of the revaluation in 2021, I reduced …

To bring to life the figures and move them beyond percentages, the overall number of properties that accessed the deferral option was between 11,800 and 12,500, so it is indeed a low number. The Deputy made a point about the ability for LPT to be varied upward by 25%. One of the things I have learned from watching how this tax operates is this. I believe 25 out of 30 local authorities have increa…

I referenced earlier the large number of significant employers clustered in particular parts of our country. This is, for want of a better phrase, because of the ecosystem and their ability to upskill people working in communities who then leave to go to employers in similar sectors located in similar parts of our country. There are some very large employers, and one in particular that Deputy McG…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 15 together. The Single Market is the best answer we have to this. We are speaking about the need to grow trade to take the place of trade that may be lost. The best place to do this is on our own doorstep. We have on our doorstop this incredible creation, which Irish politicians and diplomats have spent decades trying to craft, which is the Single Market. …

Deputy Geoghegan has laid out a compelling case, with which I agree, regarding Europe's place in the world and what we have built up in the Single Market and by means of the rule of law. The argument we need to make is that if people invest in Ireland and Europe, if they employ people in Europe and if they want to create new ideas and be entrepreneurs in Europe, they will do so in a very stable en…

You cannot on one hand stand up and make the case for the value of the rules of this House and at the same time attempt to shout them down.