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Should the budget contain measures to boost the property market? Ronan O'Driscollargues 'Yes', that by encouraging the sale of 30,000 unoccupied homes, the Government could inject €10 billion into the ailing economy, while Alan Ahearnesays 'No', that a fall in property prices and a smaller construction sector are the tough medicine this economy needs. 

YES:CONSIDER THE impact of the sale of one single new apartment. It triggers a series of activities spanning numerous industries and creates work and income for many different people, from banks to furniture suppliers to insurance companies to carpet fitters. Hundreds of thousands of people in Ireland in recent years have become directly or indirectly reliant on activity in the house-building industry, writes Ronan O'Driscoll