Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. We are always asking for more, but I do want to give credit where it is due. I do not envy the Minister his role as Minister for Finance in the past couple of years. First, I thank him for sticking with it and doing as much as he could within the remit and the budget we have.

I wish to highlight a few points relating to the Bill. It is important to say that the unemployment rate is very low currently, at 4.8%, despite war, Covid and inflation. That is something we as a Government, and the Minister for Finance, must take credit for. We have delivered the right level of supports for businesses which suffered throughout the pandemic and are now emerging from it. The Minister outlined that €16.5 billion was made available to support businesses, employees and those who were left unemployed by the pandemic. Nearly every day, a small business owner has asked me to thank the Government because measures such as the EWSS were a lifeline. There is always more, and people are always giving out, but it is good to stop and take stock and appreciate the fact that there is a lot of gratitude out there for the Minister and the work he has done.

The pandemic special recognition payment should also be acknowledged. Front-line health workers, workers in nursing homes, hospices, hospital cleaners and porters, as well as Defence Forces personnel involved in testing and vaccination centres, were all eligible for the payment. This will also be provided to student nurses on a pro ratabasis. I thank the Government for not applying tax to the payment, as it would have meant the payment was reduced by about half. That was a good move as well.

I also want to highlight the cost-rental scheme. This is something the Green Party, of which I am a member, has been bringing forward for a long time. The Bill provides for a partial repayment of stamp duty, charged at the higher 10% rate for residential dwellings designed as cost-rental dwellings. Unfortunately, everybody feels under pressure in this country to own their home. That is mainly because, unlike most of mainland Europe, there is very little fixity of tenure and rents are very high. The cost-rental model the Government has initiated is going to be a game changer because friends of mine, who live all over Europe, do not feel the same pressure to own a home because they have fixed tenure and their rent is based on the cost of the build, as opposed to market value. That is something very important which we have brought to the Government.

It is a positive move to reduce stamp duty. A temporary reduction in the rate of VAT on gas and electricity from 13.5% to 9% was a major win as well, because while we cannot control the cost of fossil fuels, that is a measure we can introduce and it is good that we did it.

A Bill is waiting on the desk of the Minister's colleague, Deputy Peter Burke, which is part of the cost-of-living crisis. We need to take it seriously and bring it in before the summer recess. I am afraid that we will not get it through on time. It will put money in the pockets of farmers, schools and community groups. I refer to the photovoltaic solar Bill my colleagues and I in the Green Party have brought to the Seanad. It will reduce the cost for farmers. We cannot help farmers in every way because their costs have become so astronomical, between nitrates and diesel, but this is one way we can put money back in their pockets and reduce their bills. It is very important. I know from this Bill that this consideration is also important to the Minister, so I ask him to raise the issue with his party colleague. As someone who lives in north Clare, where most of our jobs are in hospitality and tourism, the VAT rate of 9% is crucial. I thank the Minister for his work.