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

For clarity, the lower rate of VAT on hospitality, energy and gas and the lower rates of excise on petrol, diesel and green diesel are due to go back up fully in eight days' time. We have taken a decision as a Government not to do that and not even to begin unwinding it until June, which is what Members will be asked to vote on. They need to be unwound at some point. They were not factored into the budget but we have enough finance to extend them for some more months.

We intend to do this. That is the proposal being put and there is adequate time to discuss it. If that vote is defeated, they will go back up overnight on 28 February. I hope the Members opposite will vote with us now that there can be no doubt about what the vote is about.

The Government will make a decision on the eviction ban in the next two to three weeks. We will have to give it careful consideration. When we introduced it in November, we had hoped it would have the same effect as it had during the pandemic and we would see the number of people in emergency accommodation go down. This has not happened. We have to face up to the fact that it has not had the desired effect and we are still seeing people entering homelessness for many different reasons, including family breakdown and losing a place in the private rental sector. It has also had some unintended consequences. We have probably all come across people coming home from abroad and back from Australia, Dubai and other places who cannot move back into their own house or apartment. This is also an issue. We must weigh up the pros and cons of a further extension.

I join all Members of the House in condemning unreservedly the attack that occurred on a member of An Garda Síochána in west Dublin. There is no excuse for it. It is disgraceful to see any member of An Garda Síochána, the people who protect us and keep our streets safe, coming under attack in this way. We wish the garda a speedy recovery. We are investing in more gardaí. We provided funding for an additional 1,000 recruits this year. Recruits enter Templemore every 11 weeks now, and the total number who completed or began training last year was almost 500. I take confidence in knowing that a further recruitment campaign will be launched in the coming months. This will ensure a pipeline of suitable candidates.

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