Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)

Matters pertaining to the preservation of the Irish language from a policy point of view are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Dara Calleary. One of the primary roles of his Department is to support the Irish language and to strengthen its use as the principal community language of the Gaeltacht. That Department funds and works closely with Údarás na Gaeltachta as the regional development agency for the Gaeltacht. It co-funds and works closely with Foras na Gaeilge in its work in supporting the Irish language on an all-island basis. It also funds the office of the language commissioner. That Department also has overarching responsibility for implementation of the 20-year strategy for the Irish language 2010-2030. It promotes a holistic integrated approach to the Irish language which is consistent with international best practice.

To address specifically the Deputy’s proposal that a stamp duty exemption, as outlined, be considered, I stress that such a measure, if introduced, would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to administer or control. There could also be potential legal issues in seeking to apply such a measure that is selective on the grounds of region and-or a cohort of persons. Both Údarás na Gaeltachta and approved housing bodies already enjoy stamp duty exemptions under section 25 of the Údarás na Gaeltachta Act 1979 and section 93A of the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act 1999, respectively. For those reasons, I cannot accept this amendment.