Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin has done well from austerity; that is true. Unfortunately for Sinn Féin, the game has changed. Austerity is no longer the central issue in Irish politics. It is now about people getting back to work and looking for accommodation. The Deputy is right: we have a supply-side issue, but that is going to take some time to deal with. I do not know what the Minister for Finance is going to say to the question about how many landlords he thinks might benefit from this and how much it will cost. I imagine it is difficult to cost it and I do not think a great many landlords will be able to avail of it for a variety of reasons, including that many of them are not holders of mortgages on properties traditionally let, and so on. I do not think it is the be all and end all of housing policy. If it makes a contribution on a particular aspect, it is welcome, and it does not seem to me to be the central focus of the Finance Bill.

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