Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will make another point about this. This is working as far as the Ukrainians are concerned because people like the idea that they do not have to pay any more tax. These people are in the 52% bracket and they do not think it is worthwhile to do up the house, spend money or go to the trouble. The problem they have is that they cannot get people out. It is weighed totally against the landlord or the householder. The RTB seems to be weighing down against the landlord.

I am not saying that the Government should stop this incentive for Ukrainians, but in the interest of fairness, our local people are having serious difficulty in finding places to rent and there is discrimination here. I am asking the Minister to treat our own people the same as the Ukrainians. If he will not do it for any other reason, he should do it for that reason. We cannot be seen to be discriminating against our local people who are finding it hard. I had a woman from Firies bawling and crying to me on the phone half an hour ago. She has one child and has to get out of her house. She cannot find a place to rent. The damning thing about it is that the houses are there. If there were tax exemptions for house owners, such as those that are given to the Ukrainians, fellows would go all out to put these houses into suitable condition so that tenants could go into them. As it is, they are not bothered. I am sure the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, Deputy Moynihan, also has this over the border on the Cork side. He and I are not too far away from each other. There are several houses like that, and that is the way they are going to say until the Government does something like this. I was before the agriculture committee and I did not know this meeting was going on, so I am glad to get the opportunity to put this into the Ministers' heads. They should consider it in the interests of fairness. We have to be fair to our own people who are seeing this going on around them. They cannot compete now and that is the truth. I ask for an answer to that.