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total budget, which is an incredible situation. We have had €2.5 billion on the children's hospital, 67 vacant OPW properties and 4,000 empty local authority homes, all during a national housing crisis, bike sheds, security huts, the WRC wall, the great wall of Tara, €7 million … scanner. It is absolutely incredible. There is a significant pattern. We have citizens to the pin of their collar in terms of the taxes they are being charged, the charges they are paying on a daily basis and yet we have this Government incinerating its taxpayers' money

will provide quality, skilled employment that pays high salaries, thereby contributing to our corporation tax, PAYE and PRSI receipts. Additionally, further returns on investment will come from site rental or sale. At a local level, Irish-owned enterprises will benefit from site development opportunities as well as ongoing … need more ambition and to get that next wave of investment. The next generation initiative will sit alongside the IDA's regional property programme, which, during the 2025 to 2029 lifetime of its current strategy, will deliver 23 projects across 21 locations in eight regions, primarily focusing

overlooked or pay higher taxes. Property taxes are going up on 1 November. Nearly every house is going to get an increase as a result of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil's policy. The Minister has increased the carbon tax on petrol and diesel again and he plans … anything in this budget. Under the special assignee relief programme, the Minister extended tax breaks to the 3,000 highest earners in this State. They got an average €20,000 write-off in their tax bill. Those in the special assignee relief programme are very special because people

have a lack of funding in some areas, but then the Minister has set aside €640 million over the next two years for tax breaks for building apartments. It is more than double the budget for affordable purchase homes in the next two years. That is €640 million … costing the local authorities on average €31,000 to renovate a vacant house and that is according to the National Oversight and Audit Commission, NOAC, report. It is estimated it would cost €13 million to renovate and repair every boarded-up and vacant county council property. These

property ladder. We know from the latest available data from 30 May 2025 that the help to buy scheme has supported more than 56,000 first-time buyer individuals or couples to buy their own homes. It gives a refund of income tax and DIRT paid … supply is increasing as time progresses. The Deputy also mentioned the planning regulator and planning permission. We need to ensure that local authorities are giving planning permission and zoning land. We want to ensure there is enough zoned land available so that houses can be built

substantial amount. That is what people will be liable for. Local authorities are not benefitting from this measure. They have never benefitted in this city. In the past, there was the equalisation fund where Dublin property owners paid - or deferred if they wished, but they ultimately paid - money … receive from the Government will be reduced by the same amount or more. That means the services it hoped to deliver from the property tax income cannot be delivered, particularly for houses, roads and community services. That is why the condition of some roads across the city

times were given tax exemptions and access to grant funding to allow them to buy up large numbers of apartments, houses and new estates. Not only are these vulture funds depleting the housing stock, they are also driving up property prices and rents. The serious lack of social … actions and restrictions, having prevented over 2,000 families being made homeless in the past couple of years. The Government should give local authorities the lead in building social and affordable housing. They can replicate the work of housing bodies such as Ó Cualann, which have been building

doing their best to pay the rates, insurance, keep shop fronts nice, have a presence, look after staff and pay VAT, property tax and other taxes. They are not getting support. Once the capital town of County Tipperary, Clonmel has struggled since the closure by Phil Hogan … Martin, Leo Varadkar and Simon Harris. I ask again for a task force to be formed working across many Departments, including enterprise, justice, local government and rural development, together with the local authorities, health services to deal with addiction issues and An Garda Síochána. The town needs action

support of carbon tax. His colleague spoke a while ago. When the Labour Party was in government, it introduced water charges and property tax. It then cut child benefit, rent allowance and fuel grants and supported the USC. These are the same people who are trying to lecture … likes of Fuels for Ireland. It arrives and then all the taxes that the Government puts on it are collected at the port. It is then sent to distributors, who add the VAT for the local filling station. The local filling station then puts on three or four

debate. As a government, we have put forward significant supports for first-time buyers, such as the help-to-buy scheme, the local authority home loan, the first home scheme and others. It is totally inconsistent with those policies that we, as a government, on the other hand … strongly arguing here today that we should reintroduce a relief for first-time buyers on stamp duty up to a certain value of property. That relief was in place before, until 2010. I believe it would be a fair and equitable approach by the Government and would

will tell him what happened in my constituency. The tenant in situ scheme was removed. A family was seeking to stay in a property and the council was willing to engage on this when the landlord wanted to sell, but because the scheme was removed the family ultimately … Families have to pay the local authority more than €4,000 to build their own home. What services do they get for it in rural Ireland? Nothing. That is the truth. Approximately one third of the cost of construction goes in tax in any case. That

thank the Minister of State for his reply. The introduction of any new tax or levy will never be a popular initiative. I fully acknowledge that if the Government took a decision that the way in which the recommendations of the Dublin city task force were … that if the Government, as it will be, is faced with the funding choices for these recommendations, ultimately the choice will be whether local property taxpayers should pay for the rejuvenation of Dublin city. Will smaller business ratepayers pay for the funding of the rejuvenation of Dublin city

tax deduction for apartment construction expenses makes a little bit of sense. I am trying to take a balanced approach to this. The tax deduction of 125% for certain apartment construction costs the Minister is introducing to help address viability challenges makes more sense, subject … closing and banks are moving out. There is a lot of property stock there that could be regenerated. I said earlier in the year that if those on a housing list in any of the four local authorities in Dublin go down the country, they lose their place

country, not just in larger urban centres, are profiting from the misery caused by the chronic shortage of homes so unless this new tax is set at an effective and meaningful level, speculators will keep sitting on their assets, literally. Derelict buildings on empty streets across the country … introduction of compulsory sales orders - a new mechanism to force persistently vacant and derelict properties back into use. We are calling on the Government to fund vacancy and dereliction teams in local authorities across the country. The Taoiseach is not a commentator; he has effectively been in government

housing for sale, if they sell it, will be cheaper. The rents will not be cheaper either. I will give the local example of Lucan swimming pool. For some reason, South Dublin County Council decided to tender out the management of this pool, which … should be giving breaks to small landlords, those who own one property and have been keeping people on reduced rents for years but are being squeezed out of the market, or the single property investor. I agree with rent pressure zones and keeping rents down, but if there

rent and affordable housing to buy for working people on middle incomes. These households are burdened with the highest rents and significant taxes. They need to be supported by the State. The current situation is not acceptable and it is delaying people settling down and starting families, which … disagree with the Housing Commission recommendation to stop some home ownership routes, such as the ending of the tenant purchase scheme for local authority tenants. As I have previously said in this House, home ownership has social benefits beyond underlying cost and it should be supported

many of these small property owners. They were all people who worked hard, contributed to our economy, paid their taxes and decided to buy a small property, which they rented. I know from my own constituency that in many cases, the arrangement with their tenants worked quite well … view that as currently drafted, the deemed disposal rule is contributing to a hoarding of property by ensuring that people keep what capital they have firmly locked into residential property. This keeps houses off the market and contributes to pent-up demand and inflated rents. I am asking

irresponsible. The Ministers, Deputies O’Donovan and Chambers, are required to sign-off on the disposal of an An Post property. That means they have the authority to stop the wholesale sell off of publicly-owned post office buildings. Yet, when we directly asked whether they would prevent … those who simply value face-to-face assistance, the local post office is a lifeline. This is where political will must step in. Let us future-proof our An Post services to breathe new initiatives back in to local services. The Labour Party is pushing for a transformation

housing bond scheme for ordinary citizens. They can buy into that and get a modest interest rate tax-free or at a reduced tax rate. Let us use it to solve this issue. Money is needed for housing infrastructure because we need infrastructure to have housing. We also … unable to get a mortgage and cannot get on a local authority waiting list, so we must have a solution for them. The solution is mixed developments with affordable to buy and cost-rental properties, the very same as what the Minister saw in Rath Rua last Friday

aware, the living city initiative is a targeted measure aimed at specific areas in need of regeneration. It offers either income or corporation tax relief for qualifying expenditure incurred in the refurbishment and conversion of qualifying residential and commercial buildings located in what we call special regeneration areas … living city initiative to strengthen the scheme, including extending it to the end of 2030 and that it will be available to residential properties built before 1975 instead of 1915. Also, if work is carried out by an enterprise, the maximum relief available will be increased from

does not mean the party is uninterested. I am here representing the Government and I can assure Members that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage is aware of the debate that is ongoing today. What we can all agree on is that a substantial increase … expected timeline for completion is quarter 1 of 2025. Under Housing for All, the Government is committed to increasing the supply of rental properties, protecting renters and encouraging sustainable investment. The review will examine the operations of rent pressure zones since their introduction, assess their impact

community safety fund is a tangible example of how this works in practice, ensuring money taken from criminal networks is reinvested in local projects that improve safety, well-being and opportunity. This year, €4 million is available through the fund, which is double the allocation from its first … regulation. It also makes a practical change to the rules on property seized in an interest-bearing account. Section 16 enhances the operational capacity of the bureau. First, it allows non-Garda experts in the bureau, tax inspectors and social welfare officers to sit in on interviews

cannot come quickly enough - will go far enough to ensure that people can get permission to build houses near or in their own localities and that they will be allowed to build entrances adjacent to national primary and secondary roads where it is safe … getting a mortgage, people can borrow four times the combined gross annual income of up to 90% of the value of the property. That is a big problem for many. People need proof of steady employment for at least 12 months and a deposit of 10%. Most mortgages

communities continue to face. There remains a prevalence of horses in green areas and others are often stabled in derelict council houses or properties. In one day in February in the space of half an hour, I counted 50 horses grazing in urban areas. During my regular visits … hear from local communities about the horses, and often foals, left injured and dead in their areas. Recently, I got a horse removed after it was lying dead at the back of someone's home for more than a week. This is incredibly unfair to local people

credit for renters under budget 2025 to a maximum of €1,000 for each renter in a household. Budget 2026 extends the rent tax credit, which was due to expire at the end of 2025, for a further three years to the end of 2028. The programme … delivery have been achieved in recent years, with preliminary 2025 figures indicating further record levels of delivery. I am providing substantial funding to local authorities, the Land Development Agency and to approved housing bodies to support increased delivery. The national development plan has committed record levels of funding