Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

When the household charge was levied - the €100 flat charge on people's homes - more than 1,300 ghost estates which were not completed were exempt from the charge. What the Minister is asking the Dáil to accept – apart from setting aside the report which identifies 1,100 incomplete estates – is that in less than a year the number of unfinished estates has more than halved. He also asks us to accept that even within those estates which are still incomplete that some households enjoy proper services and facilities while others do not. It is a bit rich for the Minister to make claims of consistency and fairness when his argument is as patchy and ridden with contradictions as it is.

Will the Minister address himself to the thousands of people and families who live in those estates, who have had the stress and inconvenience of living in what in many cases amount to little more than building sites? Could he explain to them how it is fair for the Government to make a demand on them for a payment on their family home? He might also consider in his response whether it is reasonable that a single person, for instance, earning a gross income of €16,000, would be faced with a demand for payment on his or her family home, or that a couple, for instance, with a gross income of €30,000, should be asked to pay the charge on their family home. When he responds the Minister should bear in mind that those categories of person are not mutually exclusive. Many families and individuals live in ghost estates – building sites – who earn modest incomes. What about the Minister’s argument for fairness?

See this speech in context