Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)

In summing up our argument in favour of the Bill, I must challenge some of the half-truths, untruths and myths that have been promoted by those on the Government benches.

Over recent days, the Government has claimed that the household charge is the property tax for slow learners. They claimed it is forced on Irish people, not by the Government but by the troika. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan and I know that is simply not true. The troika, of which I am not a defender, never dictated that there had to be a household charge, nor did it dictate how it should be imposed. Did the Government ask for it to be removed? When the Government met the troika shortly after last year's election, it did not demand that any reference to a property tax be removed because it supports a charge on people's homes. The truth is the Minister of State is using the troika as a smokescreen behind which to hide and dragging the Labour Party along with her.

Sinn Féin agrees that local government needs to be properly and adequately funded. Sinn Féin will continue to put forward fully costed options, as we have over recent nights.

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