Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)

I remember the financial crisis and the destruction that came. People lost businesses and homes. Some lost everything. There were marriage breakups. In some tragic cases, people died by suicide as a result of the financial crash. Fast forward to 2025 and the banks are making vast profits. Where is the fairness? Where is the justice? The people at the heart of the financial crash who were bailed out by the State – every man, woman and child bailed out the banks – are allowed to write off 100% of their losses until they run out of losses for which they can claim. Ordinary people could not do that.

In 2009, Phil Hogan was the Minister for housing and €1.6 billion was given to local authorities in central Government funding. In this budget, €670 million is being given, almost €1 billion less than in 2008 and 2009. The Minister will ask what this has to do with anything. I will tell him. People in every local authority area in the State are living in apartments and houses with windows that leak, doors that do not close properly, mould, damp and leaks. People are living in cold houses. Rents in Dublin increased this week.

The Minister will ask how this is related. If we collected tax from the banks, we would be able to give local authorities the funding they need so that people would not live in cold and damp houses. We would be able to give people money for energy credits so that they could keep the heating on this winter. When people ask what this has to do with anything, it has to do with everything because if the banks paid tax on the profits they are making it would fund energy credits and there would be no need for students to have to pay an extra €500. The Government may have been able to deliver childcare at a cost of €200 per week in the budget, a commitment it gave. By allowing the banks to claim 100% on their losses, we are denying people in this State money which is badly needed.

I hold a clinic every Monday. Originally when I started it was 12.50 p.m. and now it is 1.50 p.m. and stretches to 3 p.m. I spend the whole of Monday dealing with people. A major issue outside of housing is housing maintenance.

There are people living in substandard accommodation. I know volunteers who fix up people's houses because local authorities' staff were slashed during the austerity years and they do not have the funding to put into accommodation.

Local authorities get blamed for a lot but this is about choices. The Government chose to give the banks tax breaks. A choice was made not to tax them properly on their profits. That means ordinary men and women, who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis arising from Government decisions, very like other decisions that were made earlier in regard to developers and banks, have to pay. People ask what is the difference. The difference is we are standing here wanting equality. We want the banks to pay their fair share. Is that too much to ask? Is it too much to ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance that the banks pay their fair share? If ordinary men and women must pay their fair share, why should the banks not have to do so? We could use that money in so many good ways that would help people. It is about quality of life. The Government's choices are negatively impacting on people's quality of life. I ask the Tánaiste to reconsider.

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