Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Pre-63 properties or properties over a shop, for example, come under the new fire regulations and everything else. One may have a listed building and not be able to touch it, so one cannot bring it up to standard in terms of fire regulations in order to make it available for rent. There are many properties in towns and villages across Ireland that are caught up in the listed section and cannot be touched. The owners of the properties could rent them out if they were brought up to standard in the context of fire regulations but conservation restrictions mean they are not allowed to do so. I was in such a building during the week. The owner could not carry out work on the ceiling even though there was space to create six rental properties over the shop in an area with accommodation pressure and where rental properties are needed. It was in an ideal location. There was transport and shops and everything else in the area but due to the planning legislation for listed buildings, the owners were not allowed to carry out work on the building even though the property underneath had already been retrofitted twice. The planning laws would not allow them to do it. There should be an incentive for people to do that.

I am interested by a point raised by the Vice Chairman in respect of limited companies. Mr. Allen stated that they are subject to 25% tax.