Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I hear no comment from the other side about buying votes. That rings a little hollow. Fine Gael should forget the auction politics it tried to use at the last general election. I think it learnt a very hard lesson when the people did not buy all the baubles and delights it offered them at the last general election. This is not an election budget, but one borne out of the passion of the Minister for issues he has followed in his time in the Department of Health and Children and is now following in the Department of Finance, for which I commend him.

One of the highlights of the budget was the additional relief afforded to first-time house buyers through the reduction of stamp duty. Fianna Fáil Members have campaigned for this ever since the abolition of the first-time buyer's grant in 2002. We are delighted to see the Minister has been proactive on the matter. As every speaker has said, it has had a real effect on ordinary people trying to get on to the property ladder. For a house worth just under €317,000, the saving in stamp duty is approximately €11,000 or €12,000, which is triple what the old grant was, and shows how generous and helpful it has been. In in his most generous moments, even Deputy Durkan would acknowledge that was a good step regarding housing.

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