Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----but we do not always get it all wrong. Every economy is attached to employment figures and when one gets employment right, the economy flows and it has flowed to a point where we have grown and grown. I cannot recall the number of quarters of consecutive growth we have had. That is what we have done for the people of Ireland who are back to work and who have the dignity of work. The Deputies over there who are less fair minded than Deputy Harty have no understanding of that. They stand up and speak with the same blinding, horrible negativity time after time. It is the same speech but a different subject of debate.

Deputy Michael Collins spoke about evictions. The Irish psyche is scarred by evictions. It is part of our history. That is why we introduced all of those actions to try to prevent evictions. It is not what we want. It is the last space that we want anybody to be in. The State purchases more properties than anybody else. Much has been said about vulture funds buying apartment blocks and parcels of land but the State is the largest purchaser. We do that to improve the social housing stock. Last year we purchased 8,500 units, which is a significant number of purchases, so as to allow people to have the dignity of a home they can live in where their children can have consistent education in moving from primary school to secondary school and, hopefully, to college.

I am an employer but I do not see the correlation between that and what has been said about us over here not understanding. I do not know if the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, has ever employed anybody, but I know that he and the Taoiseach have more understanding than any of the Deputies opposite will ever have because they are fair minded like Deputy Harty. The other Deputies are not fair minded. It is the same bile, same venom and same nastiness on all occasions but a different speech.

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