Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have immense respect for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as an organisation and I will look at the report. The Government will issue a reasoned response when it has had a chance to consider the report.

On the wider issue, everyone is entitled to their own opinions but they are not entitled to their own facts. If we had a two-tier economic recovery in Ireland, we would not see income inequality at its second lowest level since records began in 2004, nor would we see consistent poverty falling dramatically as it has in recent years. We would not see deprivation going down or 40,000 children lifted out of child poverty in recent years.

Things vary from region to region and the experience is not the same for every family but the experience in Ireland is, broadly, that we are going in the right direction. Unemployment is down and incomes are rising while poverty and deprivation are falling. Those are the facts and no amount of politics, populism or spin can cover those up.

The Deputy spoke about inspections of properties and the new Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act gives new powers to the Residential Tenancies Board and there are additional inspectors. The first cases are now under way. By 2021, it is anticipated that one in four properties will be inspected so, roughly speaking, every property will be inspected every four years. Money is being provided for this by central Government but it would be helpful if those parties in control of local authorities that could help to contribute to the cost of that would do so, rather than cutting the local property tax, LPT, or investing in white-water rafting.

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