Mr. Eamon O'Flaherty:

Deputies Funchion and Coppinger raised the rural renewal tax incentive scheme. Deputy Funchion mentioned that the 2005 scheme cost so many billions to the Exchequer. That was really an investor-driven scheme and, as the Deputy right said, some people got very rich from it. This is a scheme for owner-occupiers and all these buildings are in place. The infrastructure, the street lighting, the schools and the public transport are all in place. In a small town or village, if a young family with two or three children, or even three families, arrived, they would breathe much life into small villages. There is no major outlay for the Government but whatever incentive is put in place should be geared solely for the owner-occupier. It should have nothing to do with any investors or foreign funds coming in. These properties can be picked up all around the country from €30,000 to €100,000. There is a huge supply of them. They are not even going on the market because there is no market for them at the moment. If there was a market, they would be on it.