Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Very good.

Another issue that has been brought to my attention concerns some of the homeless charities, including Simon and Focus Ireland, in particular, which have charity shops. They are registered charities but they are paying rates on these charity shops. Would the Minister consider an amendment to the upcoming legislation that would exempt the charity shops of proper registered charities from rates? One would only be talking about a €2 million to €3 million of a loss to local authorities but this would greatly equip and enable those particular organisations to continue the good work they are doing.