Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

They are quite willing to engage in populist pandering in this jurisdiction and complain about a household charge of €100. While it is difficult for many households to pay, by international standards it is not a lot of money. Let us compare it with charges in Northern Ireland. A home owner in Dundalk pays €100. Ten miles north of Dundalk, across the Border in Newry and Mourne, a home owner pays an average of €965. In West Belfast, the former constituency of the Sinn Féin leader, Deputy Adams, every house pays an average of €877. Should one visit the city of Derry and call on the Sinn Féin deputy leader, Martin McGuinness, MP, MLA, one would find people in his street paying, on average, €698. The arguments of the Sinn Féin Deputies do not stand up.

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