I move recommendation No. 1: In page 8, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following: “Report on Universal Social Charge 3. The Minister shall, within 3 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on removing the Universal Social Charge from the first €40,000 a person earns.”. This recommendation is about ensuring that the first €40,000 anyone earns will be exempt from the universal social charge, USC. This would be a targeted measure, although everybody who earns up to that …

Sinn Féin will of course oppose this section in its entirety. This section very clearly displays where the Government's priorities lie. The Bill does not aim to assist ordinary workers; rather it is those who are already comfortably off who get the big breaks. There are tax cuts in this budget which are not for the ordinary man or woman going out to work every day. The people who are getting them are those who can avail of the special assignee relief programme, SARP. The previous Minister for Finance, and I assume …

I fully agree with the business of attracting foreign direct investment and skilled workers. I spent my previous post as Minister for the Economy North of the Border doing exactly that. However, what we also need in the system is fairness. We need to ensure that people who are from this country, who work here and who live on the bread line now with the cost-of-living crisis also experience a benefit from this. This is a clear opportunity for a fairer taxation approach which would benefit all people who work here, n…

As I said about the previous section of the Bill to which we objected, we have no issue with people getting research and development support. The question is about the level of that support when there is an absence of support for others who badly need it. It is a matter of the priorities the Government has put forward in terms of tax breaks. This measure will mean that a developer who builds 50 apartments and makes a profit of €2.5 million will pay no tax whatsoever, whereas up until now they had to pay tax. That i…

I have heard what both the Minister and Senator Byrne have said. There are many people who get up early in the morning and work two and three jobs who cannot afford housing. Affordability is not simply about the benefits to the developer and people who already, in all likelihood, are fairly well off and wealthy. Affordability is about how people can reach and afford those homes. That is why we argue the tax breaks are wrongly directed to support those who are already doing quite well. People here work very hard in …

This is in a similar vein in that the approach of the Government to the supply of homes - that is, to put money in the pockets of developers - is one that has been tried, tested and failed repeatedly. The proposition is to cut VAT on the sale of apartments. It is not something that will support the hundreds of thousands of people across the State who cannot access housing. It is not a measure that will increase the supply of accommodation, although the Government will undoubtedly attempt to window dress it as such.…

I thank the contributors for the constructive discussion of this. Senator Byrne asked for our plans for this, but I do not think Senators will thank me for going through them in chapter and verse at this stage of the evening. Suffice it to say, there are sufficient plans, which we have put forward repeatedly. Despite what has been said, the difficulty for us is that this €1.5 billion does not go to home buyers. It goes to those who build homes and the repeated practice and policy of the Government has been to enric…

I know plenty of people who have kids in Dublin and even the thought of getting a house in Dublin is way beyond them. We want to see proper supports going to those who are trying to buy houses and to look again at this policy which seems to say that unless we give developers more and more money over time, we will not get the houses we need. We have to have a range of approaches. Sinn Féin has presented costed and detailed proposals in relation to it. For that reason and in a similar way consistent with some of the …

We oppose this section as it places an unfair burden on farmers. This measure will, in effect, mean that a farmer who has any element of commercial poultry on the farm will have to set up two different systems. Some farmers have estimated that this measure could cost up to €30,000. The other fact is the timeframe for the introduction of the measure. Farmers have not had enough time to decouple their businesses. In removing the flat rate from poultry so quickly, the legislation creates a viability issue for farmers.…

I welcome this morning's announcement that the tourism branding of Ireland's Hidden Heartlands is being extended north of the Border into County Fermanagh. That is good for tourism providers in Fermanagh. For people who may not have visited it, Fermanagh is a scenically very beautiful county, with many tourism offerings. The Minister for the Economy north of the Border, Caoimhe Archibald MLA, has added a £300,000 marketing boost to Fermanagh to welcome the initiative. This particular expansion of Fáilte Ireland's b…

I move: That Seanad Éireann: recognises that: - the reunification of Ireland is an objective of Bunreacht na hÉireann; and - there is a growing national discussion around constitutional change with people from diverse backgrounds now exploring the possibility of Irish unity; notes that: - the Good Friday Agreement 1998 provides the democratic and peaceful means to achieve reunification through the provision of unity referendums; and - the significant Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Frid…

With permission, a Chathaoirligh, I would like to share my time with Senators Ryan and Andrews.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I thank the Minister of State for his presence in the Seanad Chamber this evening to discuss the fundamental issue of the future of our country. As we are aware, this Private Members' business was discussed in the Dáil Chamber in October. The Dáil agreed with the motion on that occasion, and I am hopeful the Seanad will adopt a similar position this evening. The reunification of our country will be the greatest gift our generation can bestow on the young people of Ireland. Irish u…

I thank all those who participated in the debate and I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, to listen to the conclusion of it. In the short time I have, there were so many opinions and ideas shared that it is not possible to do justice to them all. I will deal with a few specific points and then maybe some of the themes. Senator Blaney mentioned the A5. I was actually Minister for Infrastructure from 2007 to 2011 when that was announced by the North-South Ministerial Council. I had to remind him,…

My colleagues and I will be opposing the Bill before us. It seems the Government has been determined from the outset to steamroll the Bill and the measures contained within it through the Houses. Not one Opposition amendment was accepted. We can only conclude that the budget, which the Bill before us enacts, is for the wealthy, the developers and the bankers. It turns its face away from ordinary citizens of this State who have struggled for years with the cost-of-living crisis that continues to turn the screw on wo…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. We will support the passage of the Bill, as we did in the Dáil. In tandem with the introduction of this Bill, the Government should introduce legislation to enable access to the State pension at 65. I know this is a matter for the Minister of Social Protection but the genesis of all these matters is the Pensions Commission report, which is across a number of Departments. After decades of contributions, workers who choose to do so deserve the right to access their State pension. Ma…

I agree with the proposition put forward by my colleague, Senator Clonan. I draw attention to some of the work that is already going on in relation to that, albeit at a lower level. I very much welcome the announcement by Queen’s University Belfast and Dundalk Institute of Technology, DkIT, yesterday of the creation of the first all-island university college, which is a very exciting proposition. As someone who lives not far from DkIT and who represents communities in that Border area, I am keen to ensure that they…

On a slightly more positive note, I commend and congratulate our Uachtarán nua, Catherine Connolly, on her inauguration yesterday. Many of us were privileged to attend the ceremony. On behalf of my group, I wish her well in her term. I have every confidence that she will be an excellent President, following the course of previous Presidents who have also distinguished the office. I had thought when I was at the inauguration ceremony yesterday that I might be the only representative present from County Armagh, but I…

On behalf of the Sinn Féin group, I extend my sympathies to the wife and family of the former Senator Billy Lawless. I welcome those who have joined us in the Chamber. I am very pleased to see my old friend Ian Marshall back with us again, a very welcome visitor here and long may he continue to engage with us. I also acknowledge Billy's wider family in Galway and Chicago. I did not know Billy Lawless personally. I have only been in this Chamber since the start of this year. I am indebted to Senator McDowell for ill…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I had intended to ask to share time with Senator Chris Andrews, but I presume that will not be necessary. The Senator will have sufficient time to make his own contribution, not that I intend to take up too much of the Minister of State's time. I very much welcome the Minister of State's contribution and the emphasis he put on the commitment the Government has given in respect of continuing to provide overseas development assistance and to fund various projects to the level they a…