Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

Tá díospóireacht mór ar siúl inniu agus caithfidh mé cuid des na ceisteanna a fhreagairt. An rud bunúsach atá Seanadóirí Shinn Féin ag rá ná go bhfuil siad i gcoinne gach rud agus nach bhfuil siad i bhfábhar rud ar bith.

An fáth go bhfuil an táille seo á leagadh ná nach bhfuil go leor airgid ag teacht isteach ón ghnáth cháin chun an tír a choimeád slán. Bhí ar an Rialtas roimhe seo a lán airgead a fháil on IMF. Tá sé ráite, ag Sinn Féin ach go háirithe, nár chóir aon chuid den airgead sin a aisíoc agus go gcaithfear stop a chur leis sin láithreach. Seo an cheist do Sheanadóirí Shinn Féin. Más rud é nach n-aisíocfar an t-airgead sin beidh ar an tír seo €20 billiún a fháil láithreach chun an tír a choimeád slán. Dá dtarlódh sin, thitfeadh an córas oideachais, an córas sláinte agus an córas leasa shóisialaigh as a gcéile. Sin an fáth go bhfuil an rud seo ag teacht isteach. Níl aon dul as againn. Caithfear é a dhéanamh.

Níl anseo ach tús. Taobh istigh de dhá bhliain beidh táille a chur ar gach teach, bunaithe ar luach an tí agus rudaí eile. Ó thaobh an €100 de, ní bheidh sé ann ach ar feadh dhá bhliana. Más rud é go bhfuil árdú san phraghasinnéacs tomhaltóirí beidh an méid ag árdú. Sin toil an Aire. Caithfear an t-airgead a fháil agus, inár dtuairim, seo an slí is córa chun é a dhéanamh.

I thank everybody who contributed on this amendment. Subsection 2 of the Bill provides that a charge will be set at €100 for 2012. The amendment proposed by Fianna Fáil seeks to state specifically that the household charge shall not exceed €100 without an amendment to the Act and proposes to delete the provisions for amending the quantum of the household charge, having regard to changes in the all-items consumer price index, CPI. The provision to amend the charge, having regard to the CPI, is far from being a mechanism to allow for large or substantial increases of the charge. I assure the Senators that it does not provide a mechanism for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to increase disproportionately the quantum of the household charge in future years. Rather, it is a standard provision that is also contained in the Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, which provides for the charge on non-principal residences. The Bill before the House is largely based on the provision contained in the 2009 Act.

The CPI provisions of the Bill simply provide that the Minister may have regard to inflation in any decision on the level of the household charge for future years. Any future change in the quantum of the charge will be limited to the change in the CPI since its level was last determined. Therefore, there is no question of increases of the kind to which the Senator referred. It would not be possible under these provisions to increase disproportionately the household charge in the future. Any proposal to increase the charge in excess of the CPI would require the Oireachtas to pass amending legislation.

I thank Senator Ó Clochartaigh for his proposed amendment to delete subsection 3(3) of the Bill. I dealt with the matter in my response earlier. For the reasons set out, ní féidir linn glacadh leis an leasú seo.