Pearse Doherty
Donegal · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I move amendment No. 1 to Seanad recommendation No. 2: To delete from the row dated "1 September 2026" down to and including the row dated "1 May 2030" and substitute the following: " 15 July 2026 €502.88 €502.88 €371.85 €371.85 €371.85 €0.00 €210.45 €172.14 €167.25 €79.17 €11.48 14 October 2026 €502.88 €502.88 €371.85 €371.85 €371.85 €0.…”
“Next week, this House will rise, the doors of Leinster House will be locked and Ministers will head off on their summer holidays. Their parting gift to ordinary Irish people across the State will be to have locked in fuel price increases that will hit them in their pockets.”
“That is not acceptable and it is why we in Sinn Féin have tabled this amendment to say that these price increases should not be going ahead and that prices should be properly monitored at the appropriate time.”
“This is tied to the latter amendment and I will speak further at length on that. Recommendation No. 1 deals with the diesel rebate scheme, which operates within a window that closes on 1 October.”
“Hope is what we rely on when we have no control. It is not a substitute for prudent economic planning. There is zero certainty here. There are no guarantees that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open or that global supply lines will not be choked tomorrow morning.”
“As if that were not good enough, the Government is not just hitting people with increases on petrol and diesel. On top of that, it is going to hit them with an increase in the cost of home heating oil, natural gas and a basic bag of coal.”
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“This is about fairness. Who do we put the burden on? Taxation is about where we place the burden. Do we place a burden on people who, in the Minister’s words, play a valuable role in society through the jobs they do? The woman who cooks the breakfast plays a valuable role. A trainee nurse in third or fourth year who only gets a few pounds plays a valuable role. The cleaner who goes into my local school plays a crucial role. The SNA who helps my wee nephew plays an unbelievable role. None of them are on €140,000-plus but under this legislation the burden will fall on them at the same level as it will fall on people with very high incomes. The Minister asked me where this money would come from as if we would have to find it and it would be impossible to find. That is not the case. There are countless other examples.”
“This is where there is a difference of opinion. The Minister has eloquently outlined why we are not going to tax one group but, rather, will tax another group instead. In fairness, the local property tax will affect everybody. Everybody will pay more in tax this year, but the guy who has a pension pot of €2.5 million can afford the extra bit in local property tax. That is the difference. Take the example of the person who lives over the road from me, cares for their loved one, gets carer’s allowance and works the extra 19 hours when they are able to earn by putting food on the table for workers and people in the community. When we add it all together, that person comes home with something like €24,000 per year and has to try to raise a family with it. These are the people whose local property tax is going to double.”
“The choice is that some people in my county will have to pay double the local property tax. Everybody else will have to pay a little bit more. They are the wrong choices, in my view, and for those reasons, I am pressing the amendment.”
“Mar a dúirt mé, tá an Rialtas ag cur na cánach seo ar achan teach ar fud an Stáit agus go leor i gcruachás ó thaobh costas de. The Minister rightly made the point that if you abolish the local property tax, then you have to provide the money to the local authorities. He gave a figure of €600 million. We have shown the Minister time and time again where that €600 million can be generated, but they are political choices too and I respect the fact that Fine Gael does not want to do those political choices. It does not want to introduce a third rate of tax that would apply to individual income above €140,000. It does not want to go after gold-plated pensions that would see people who have pension pots in excess of €1.5 million taxed appropriately. They are the choices.”
“Regardless of whether it is by €5, €250 or €500, it does not matter; it should not be done. The Minister talked about how we cannot control inflation and so on, yet things like this, when the local property tax goes up a few quid, petrol and diesel go up a bit, the shopping goes up a bit because hauliers have to pay more to get it into the shops, gas bills go up because the Government decided to put carbon tax on gas, there is another increase on other items the Government has dealt with, and rents have gone up because the Government is refusing to ban rent increases, are the things that make up inflation. This is why people feel so much pressure. This is another example of it. We in Sinn Féin believe that the local property tax should not go ahead. It should be scrapped and phased out, which is what this amendment seeks to do.”
“The property tax is going up for everyone but it will go up by a band for many. They will see a substantial increase. Many in my county, Donegal, will see their property tax bill more than double. This will happen because a home in Donegal that was worth €190,000 in 2021 has increased in value by over 30% so far, which is still below the average for the county. The home would now be valued at €247,000, meaning its local property tax would go from €90 to €230. This is €140 extra, which is more than a doubling of the tax paid to date. I made this point to the Minister on Second Stage and, in fairness to him, he has not disputed that these are the facts of the matter. We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and should not be passing legislation that will increase a tax on individuals.”
“The Government has just increased the bands by 20%, knowing some people will go into a higher band and therefore pay more money. On examining the decision county by county, its unfairness becomes even more obvious. The biggest changes to house prices are in Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo. If you lie a map indicating areas of deprivation in the State on top of a map showing the counties, you will find that the counties in the north west, the Border counties, are among the most deprived. Donegal has the highest levels of deprivation in the State, yet in that county house prices have increased by over 35%. Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon have all seen an increase of 33%, and that is before the continuation of the increase this year.”
“One always asks when the penny will drop or when the Government will say it has got it wrong because prices, rents, homelessness rates, including the child homelessness rate, and the number of young people leaving the country keep going up. Some 100,000 people born in this country are now living in Australia alone. Daft.ie has reported that we are on course this year for the highest increase in ten years. The listed price in the second quarter of the year was 12.3% higher than that of last year. With all this information, the Government has decided to increase the charging bands by 20%. Daft.ie is telling us we will hit the highest increase in ten years in 2025. We already have seen an increase of 23%, and that was up to the end of last year. It is still going up this year.”
“We proposed a wealth tax that would include property but with exemptions. It would apply to net wealth and therefore loans and mortgages on the property would be subtracted from the value. According to the CSO, house prices increased by 23% between November 2021 and the end of 2024. Prices have continued to go up this year, so the increase is way more than 23%. We are aware that the average house price broke the €600,000 mark in this city recently, which is just crazy. I recall standing here talking about house prices reaching various figures but this is just unbelievable. It never stops under this Government. Prices just keep going up and up.”
“The revaluation should not be applied because it will force people into higher bands and therefore to pay more local property tax. As I have said on numerous occasions, we are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, a crisis that is really biting down hard on so many individuals. Instead of doing what is right, the Government is pushing ahead with a revaluation to reflect the runaway cost of housing. It is responsible for that runaway cost because we know it is not just evident here in the capital or indeed the larger cities. House prices have spiralled completely out of control as a direct result of the failure of the Government's housing policy. It is planning to increase the tax on individuals. For many people, their house is not a clean asset. They will have a liability, a mortgage, so the house will not be a net asset.”
“Obviously, that would be done through the Exchequer funding the local authorities with the money that would be lost. It will not come as any surprise to the Minister that Sinn Féin opposes the local property tax. Every year, we present the Government with an alternative budget in which we fully account for phasing out the tax, an alternative way of doing things and a way of scrapping the local property tax while also funding local authorities with the revenue they would forgo. The Government, including the Minister, has claimed the legislation is necessary because of the revaluation in November, but the revaluation is a political choice. It is not set in stone; it is a measure Government has introduced. The political choice has had consequences. We have seen deferrals in the past.”
“I move amendment No. 2: In page 3, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following: " Report outlining a roadmap for the removal of local property tax from principal private residences without loss of revenue to local authorities 3. The Minister shall, within 3 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report outlining a roadmap for the removal of local property tax from principal private residences without loss of revenue to local authorities.". This amendment again calls on the Government to prepare and lay before the Dáil, within three months of passing the Bill, a report outlining "a roadmap for the removal of local property tax from principal private residences without loss of revenue to local authorities".”
“Despite the nightmare they are undergoing, Government thinks it is appropriate that they will be paying local property tax on their home. They should self-declare that the value of the home is zero because its value at that stage is probably just the land value. Very few would buy a defective blocks home and a house will not be sold in Donegal without a test in the first instance. The issue is, as the Minister confirmed, there will be people living with defective concrete blocks in their homes and they will still, under this legislation, have to pay local property tax. That is wrong and that is why I am pressing the amendment.”
“I thank the Minister for clarifying that thousands of families in homes with defective blocks will have to continue to pay local property tax. That is the reality. The defective blocks are there. The fact only 1,000 have an exemption shows the restrictive measures in place. There are families living with this horror and this nightmare. Let us be clear: the local property tax will not change their world. There are bigger issues with the scheme that the Government is failing them dramatically on. There is an issue with the damage threshold arising when the test is done, it says there is defective blocks in the home and people are living with that experience. If those people fill up the cracks, for example, then they do not meet the damage threshold. Did the Minister know that?”
“Alternatively, will he accept this amendment, which would ensure nobody with defective concrete blocks would pay local property tax.”
“There are people, for example, who have defective blocks but are not able to get the certificate because the damage is not severe enough to get on the scheme. Therefore, a notification is not issued under section 15(5), despite the fact they are living in an affected house and impacted by all this. It is about the crack or numerous cracks in the walls and whether they have opened to the degree that a coin can be placed in them. It is said the changes are necessary due to the changes in the scheme. Can the Minister confirm there will still be people who have tested their homes and are living with defective concrete blocks but, because they do not satisfy the damage threshold at this point in time, will have to pay local property tax?”
“Everybody is going to pay a bit more at a time when we would argue local property tax should be scrapped. The issue here is that those who live in a defective block house at least should not have to pay local property tax. Many homeowners in the scheme are already dealing with severe financial pressure because they are having to deal with issues with their own homes, which are unsafe and unsound. There is additional cost in some cases where walls are damp or repairs have to be done to electrics and so on because of ingress of water. We want to ensure no individual affected by defective concrete blocks comes under the local property tax. Under this legislation, the threshold has to be met to get an exemption. Will the Minister outline what that threshold is?”
“The people who have been affected by defective concrete blocks have been unfairly treated as they have not been offered the same 100% redress as the scheme provided in Dublin and north Leinster. Many homeowners are having to severely dig deep into their own pockets and borrow from others to try to make up the shortfall that is built into the Government's scheme. That can be in the region of between €70,000 and €80,000 or more. Many others simply cannot avail of the scheme because that type of money is not available to them. They cannot get loans for it. There is nobody to borrow from. There is no family to try to help them out with that. That is the injustice of the scheme. This legislation will increase local property tax on every home across the State. Whether that is by €5 or €250, that is a fact.”
“I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following: “Report on the accessibility of the local property tax exemption for those affected by defective concrete blocks 3. The Minister shall, within 3 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on the accessibility of the local property tax exemption for those affected by defective concrete blocks.”. This amendment calls on the Minister, within three months of the passing of this Act, to prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on the accessibility of the local property tax exemption for those who are affected by the defective concrete blocks crisis, or scandal as it really is.”
“I stand and I look at the heroes of 1916 around us. The conversation and comment outside really struck me. It is not just the homeless person who is in the alleyway that James Connolly crawled through; there are thousands and thousands of people in the country who are homeless. Thousands of children are homeless at this point in time, and tens of thousands of people in this country have lost hope because Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have destroyed housing. They have commodified housing and looked at it as an asset as opposed to what it should be, which is a right. The motion is a manifesto for change and I commend it.”
“The Government does not get what people are going through, whether it is the individuals Deputy Gould spoke about or people in my constituency who face eviction. The tenant in situ scheme has been completely and utterly gutted. The hope and dream of a social house has been completely destroyed because the Government has gutted the ability of local authorities to build at the scale we need. Rents continue to creep up over and over again. The Minister's master plan and big first initiative in his role is to do what? When rents are sky high and out of reach for so many people, his big brainwave is to put rents up further. He is only speaking to one audience, and that is the vulture funds and the institutional investors. It is absolutely shameful. I stand in the Chamber and I am proud to be in the Chamber.”
“I commend the motion. This is the type of radical reset we need in terms of housing. I do not need to repeat the words said by my colleagues. This Government is failing badly in terms of housing. I was at the Raise the Roof protest earlier and was struck by a woman who recalled the alleyways that James Connolly crawled through in the Easter 1916 Rising. She said an Irish man now sleeps in those same alleyways at a time when there are over 100,000 derelict and empty houses across the State and the Government is backslapping itself about how well we are doing. Some €8 billion this year has been put into the rainy day fund. Next year, €6.5 billion will be put into it. The Government has not recognised from its ivory tower that it is not just raining but it is lashing on ordinary people the length and breadth of the country.”
“The Minister can dress this up all he wants. The reality is that the local property tax for a person in my county relates to a property worth €190,000 in 2021. Property values in Donegal have increased by 30% since that time. The current price is €247,000. People in Donegal will pay another €140, not another €5, in property tax. That is what the Government is delivering to people in my constituency. It is absolutely wrong in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and, indeed, at any time. We should abolish the local property tax. That is what Sinn Féin is committed to and will do. That is the type of amendment we will bring forward to the Bill.”
“The Government needs to squeeze householders a little bit more, while the bankers get bonuses and pay of over €500 million because that is what Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments do. I will hand it to the two parties; they are bloody consistent. When it comes to the bodaí móra in this country, there is always a nice listening ear. Last week, I asked the Minister's party leader if he does not listen to the people who are struggling and find it difficult to pay for a basket of groceries at the end of the week. Does the Minister not listen to the families who are crippled with a second mortgage in childcare costs or are screwed over by petrol and diesel prices and the carbon taxes that increase every year and which the Government plans to increase further? The Government then comes along with a proposal that increases taxes.”
“You would swear he was doing us a favour here and trying to soften the cough because of the revaluation. The revaluation in the local property tax is a political choice by the Government. It does not need to happen. The revaluation does not need to happen and we should not have it in the first place. We should abolish this tax. It reflects the failures of Government in respect of housing policy. Let us look at the numbers. The Minister told us the revaluation will happen in November this year. However, he said that until last year house prices had increased by 23%. They are still increasing, by the way. Therefore, by the time the revaluation takes place, prices will be above that threshold. In Donegal, prices have increased by 35%, but the bands only increased by 20%, because the Minister needs his little squeeze on households.”
“People are screwed over by high energy bills, among the highest in Europe, and the Government sits idly by, yet its priority is to make sure every single home pays a bit more local property tax. There is simply no let up for people. The Government will tell us it can do nothing about inflation but it forgets to say that it is going to raise the cost of local property tax, petrol, diesel, home heating oil and gas because the Government controls a lot of prices in this State. This is another example of how it is screwing people over again royally. What we should be doing is abolishing local property tax and not increasing it, regardless of whether that increase is €5 or €250. That is what is required in this legislation. We will table an amendment to bring that about. The Minister spoke about revaluation.”
“If he had just held onto the shares in AIB, we would be €5 billion better off today. Oh my God, that has happened under prudent Paschal, the fellow who will not give the increases we need for disability payments, special needs allowances or those who needed the additional support of one-off energy credits this winter, but when it comes to bankers’ bonuses, it is a case of “Come knock on my door, it is a free for all”. That is what Fine Gael does, definitely when it has Fianna Fáil in government with it. We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. People are struggling to put or keep a roof over their heads. People are struggling with the cost of childcare. The Government promised that, within its first 100 days, it would provide a roadmap for delivering €10-a-day childcare, which is another promise it has failed to deliver.”
“The irony is not lost on those workers that, on the day the Minister has announced that every house in the State will have to pay more tax, be it €500 or €250, it makes no difference, he has also announced he is giving bankers bonuses and bumper salaries. That is what this Government stands for. For the family that lives beside me in west Donegal or the family that lives beside Deputy Gould down in Cork who are scrimping and saving and going to the credit union to try to pay for the recent bills, such as the electricity bill, the Minister has just handed them a higher bill on their property. And what has he handed the CEOs of the banks in this State? He has handed them bonuses – pay that now goes above €500,000 – and in doing so he has lost the State €5 billion. Never has a finance Minister in all my time lost so much money for the State.”
“Under this proposal, every single house in the State will end up paying more tax. The reality is this Government has pushed us in a direction of the financialisation and commoditisation of homes. It has taken what is a necessity - what should be a right - and transformed it into an asset and made it out with winners and losers. Its failed housing policy has pushed up prices higher and higher right across the State. That has not been to the benefit of ordinary workers who just want a home to live in, but of the Government’s friends who keep it in high places. It has benefited the developers, bankers and investment funds, and the Government’s answer is to tax ordinary workers every single time.”
“For many, it does not matter what the family home is worth because they are not selling it. It is a necessity of life. It is where they live and where they bring up their children. I need to be careful with my language here but just look at what Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have done with the family home. It is like Trump looking at Gaza and he just sees real estate. The Minister looks at people's homes, the place where they bring up their families, and he asks how he can squeeze those families and how much money can he get out of them. That family does not care if their home was €200,000 five years ago and is now valued at €300,000 today. It is where they are raising their family and where they have scrimped and saved to be able to purchase or build the home in the first instance, yet the Government just sees it as a cash cow to be taxed.”
“For example, many of these homes have mortgages and some were in negative equity for many years, yet the Government looked at it as just simple wealth and an item that could be taxed. Sinn Féin believes in taxing wealth but one has to recognise that the family home has a particular position in the Irish State. It should be on net wealth that we tax, not tax where there are mortgages that are equivalent or similar to the amount of value that is in the property. Some argue, as the Government has, that the way to tax wealth is to go after the family home. We completely disagree. Taxing real wealth is not easy but it is what we truly need. Lobbing a tax on the family home is just a simple cop-out and is what we have seen from Government after Government in recent years.”
“We account for phasing out this local property tax. We present the Government with an alternative way of doing things and it rejects that every time. It is a way of scrapping the property tax without costing local authorities any revenue. There is a fairer way to tax. Sinn Féin is committed to taxing wealth to reduce the burden on ordinary workers and families in delivering high-quality infrastructure and public services that are so badly needed right across our State. Despite the family home being turned into a financial asset by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments, the family home should not be treated in the way that it is by this Government in terms in wealth.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle as ucht an deis labhairt ar an ábhar seo. Cuireann muid in éadan na cánach maoine tithíochta seo. Tá muid ina éadan go huile is go hiomlán. Achan bhliain, léiríonn muid an dóigh le deireadh a chur leis an cháin seo. Is é an rud atá sa Bhille atá os comhair an Tí anocht ag teacht ó Fhianna Fáil, Fine Gael agus na Neamhspleáigh atá ag tabhairt tacaíochta don Rialtas ná go n-ardófar an cháin seo ar mhuintir na tíre. Níl aon teach sa tír seo a fheicfidh an cháin ag dul in ísle. Rachaidh sí in airde d’achan ceann acu. Tá gach ceann de na bands ag dul suas. De bharr go bhfuil an costas tithíochta ag dul in airde faoin Rialtas seo, beidh cuid acu á ndíol ag leibhéal níos airde. Sinn Féin opposed the local property tax in every year, as the Minister well knows.”
“Instead, will he commit to bringing forward a cost-of-living package that will include electricity in recognition that after 14 years of Fine Gael in government, we pay among the highest electricity prices in Europe?”
“This is money that comes out of people's pockets in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. Does the Tánaiste not listen to his constituents who tell him about their grocery bills going through the roof? Does he not hear that the number of children in consistent poverty has nearly doubled in a year? Does he not hear about schools pleading for funding to keep the lights on rather than asking for phone pouches? These price rises should not be going ahead. Instead, a cost-of-living package should be included in the budget. This should include a substantial amount for energy credits. Will the Tánaiste ensure there is not a hike in electricity prices, as has been proposed?”
“This is shocking news emerging about the plane crash. I want to deal with the issue of the cost of living. I was going to raise the issue of education and how some schools are under pressure to keep the lights on. However, I see the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party is more interested in the phone pouches. Let me just talk about electricity prices. Yesterday, we learned that there is a proposal to hike electricity prices again. This is serious because people are being fleeced right across the board. Irish people already pay some of the highest electricity prices in Europe. We pay €350 more than the European average. That is what you get after 14 years of Fine Gael in government. The Government wants to jack up prices even further. It wants to add another €83 on to that.”
“He mentioned Ardara, Letterkenny and Buncrana. What about the student who goes to rent a house in Drumcondra next year which is in a rent pressure zone? Will the landlord be able to jack up that price to whatever he wants before he lets the house? The answer is "yes" because what the Government has allowed is a free rein to every single landlord who lets a property out to a new tenant.”
“Does the Tánaiste really believe that guff and spin? We have had 14 years of Fine Gael in government and rents have never been higher. The Government is absolutely crucifying renters, and what it has done in its plan, when we cut through all of the spin, is that for every single new tenancy, and whether it is in Ardara or Drumcondra makes no difference, after 1 March the landlords will be able to set the price to whatever they want. Under existing law at present in a rent pressure zone this is not allowed. This is a charter for higher rents. This is charter for the vulture funds and for the property developers. It is benefiting landlords. They are the only people who will benefit. We know that tens of thousands of people move out of rental pressure zones. The Tánaiste used to be the Minister for higher education.”
“Does the Tánaiste accept that existing landlords, even in existing rent pressure zones, letting to new tenants after 1 March will be able to jack up rents as high as they wish for new tenants before they move in, whether that is students, trainee nurses or anybody else? Will the Tánaiste simply admit that delivering higher rents for landlords and investors is what this plan is really about, because, without a doubt, that will be the outcome of what the Government has announced?”
“This morning, the Government is scrambling around like headless chickens trying to find a way to rush forward the changes to rent laws before the Dáil breaks for the summer. The incompetence is off the charts. It seems that the only real thought given to the plan was how to screw over renters. Fair play; the Government did that with five golden stars. When will we see the legislation? Who are we to believe? Is it the Minister, who was on "Prime Time" and said it will not happen till March? Is it now the headless chicken approach that we read about, whereby the Government will try to rush this through before the summer recess?”
“That meant that tens of thousands of renters will face the prospect of massive rent hikes as landlords move to benefit before the changes kick in. These are the people who have already seen double-digit rent increases and will now be thrown to the wolves. They cannot take any more. On top of that, the Government's clumsy approach runs the risk of landlords holding off putting properties back up for rent until the changes come in in March. In its haste to pander to big landlords and wealthy property funds, the Government wrote this on the back of an envelope and there was no consideration of the impact on renters. They were an afterthought. That is why we are in such a big mess. It is now panic stations from the Government.”
“Young people, the generation which has already been shafted by your housing crisis, will be on the hook for even bigger rent hikes. We know students and their families are already desperate for affordable accommodation and will be absolutely fleeced when theses changes kick in. In fact, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, IHCA, issued a damning statement yesterday, warning that the Government's plan could impact essential healthcare staff, required to move during their training, finding affordable accommodation. The madness of this plan is matched only by the incompetence of the Government's approach. It is a complete and utter botch job. On Tuesday, the Government told the media, through the Department, that rent pressure zones would come into effect on 1 March. Indeed, the Minister confirmed that on "Prime Time".”
“The spin surrounding the Government's chaotic proposals to reform the rental sector is unravelling day by day. The Government is at sixes and sevens, caught up in damage limitation and exercised because people can see right through what this plan is all about. It is about pushing up already extortionate rents even higher. As the Tánaiste knows, it will allow landlords to set the market rate for all new tenancies. The Tánaiste knows the Government is opening the gates to massive rent hikes for people who are already under serious pressure. The Government knows all of this. After 1 March, renters will be hit with massive rent increases. This is especially true for young people who, by the very nature of their lives, whether for work or education, tend to move frequently.”
“We have all seen the news of the tragic plane crash in India of a flight on its way to London. All we can say at this time is that all of our thoughts are with all of those affected as we wait for news. It is shocking. I also want to extend my condolences to an Teachta Rose Conway-Walsh whose mother, Philomena Conway, passed away this morning. My thoughts are with Rose, all of her brothers and sisters and her whole family at this time. It is a difficult time for them. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam. Tá an Rialtas trína chéile ó thaobh tithíochta de agus é ag crúbaireacht thart ag iarraidh botúin mhóra sa phlean cíosa atá in ainm a bheith aige a cheartú. Tá neamhinniúlacht an Rialtais dochreidte. Is é an t-aon rud atá cinnte ná go rachaidh cíosanna atá ró-ard cheana féin in airde mar thoradh ar mholtaí an Rialtais.”
“Above anyone else, the Minister is the person who can stop this by supporting this motion and enacting the necessary legislation.”
“That is why it has happened in other EU member states in relation to capital restrictions but it has to be measured against four principles that have been carried out and tested in the European Court of Justice. That is what the legislation would do. It is fine if the Government has an issue with the way we have framed the legislation. It can draft its own and stop the sale of Israeli war bonds in Ireland and stop the Central Bank from facilitating their sale. The Minister is the person, above anybody else in this House or in the country, who can, as Minister for Finance, bring this legislation through. That is why I say, unfortunately, the Minister is on the wrong side of history. Genocide is staring us in the face. It is happening in real time and the Minister is complicit, because the Central Bank is facilitating it.”
“The facilitation is what is written in the legislation. That is what the Central Bank is doing. Can it be stopped? Of course, it can be stopped. The Cabinet just approved the heads of Bill of the occupied territories Bill. It will use a public-policy exemption to be able to enact that into law here in Ireland. This public-policy exemption on the free movement of goods is important. We have argued for the same public-policy exemption on the free movement of capital. Why is the free movement of capital an easier one to get? It is because the free movement of goods is an exclusive EU competence, whereas the free movement of capital is only a shared competence. Article 63 allows for an exemption under it.”
“However, the reality is that if Government wants to initiate national measures that will ensure the Central Bank does not sign off on a prospectus and, therefore, not facilitate the sale of these war bonds in Ireland, then it can do so. That is the reality of it and the start and finish of this issue. If there is a political will then this can be stopped. The Minister talked about the Central Bank not selling these bonds, or doing this or that. What the Central Bank is doing is facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds in the face of a genocide. We have heard from colleagues what is happening in Palestine and I do not need to repeat it. We are all appalled about it. It is not a question of how appalled we are; it is a question of how we have a position of authority and power to enable us to do something about it.”
“I support the motion and commend the Social Democrats on bringing it forward. This motion is in line with the debate we had last week on Sinn Féin legislation that would stop the Central Bank facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds in Ireland. It would have an immediate effect on their sale in Europe also. During the last debate I said that the response of the Minister was shameful and I believe his response is shameful again today. History will show that the Minister is on the wrong side of this issue. He has danced around the issue. He has told us what the Central Bank is not doing. He has used carefully constructed words to tell us what we cannot do.”
“The Government received a high-level report in 2021 highlighting the need for urgent action on this issue. Why was no action taken? Why is the Air Corps traffic control going down to five days per week? Why are we putting core issues in jeopardy?”