Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I think we introduced this measure in our second budget and that the Minister for Finance said at the time that the entire objective was to get transactions going again. During the past year, particularly in some parts of the market, we have seen significant improvement. However, this has not been replicated in all parts of the country. The objective of moving the date to the end of 2014 is to encourage this. We all have a vested interest in making sure there are transactions and that the tax due to the State improves as a result. Whether it moves beyond this is another matter, but that is the objective of the exercise, as I think the Minister has made perfectly clear.