Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

These amendments provide that where 5% of an individual's property is taken into account as part of the financial assessment for a subvention, it will only be taken into account for the first three years in which the person is paid a subvention. This limit of three years is being provided for in this Bill as part of the range of measures being introduced in 2007 in advance of the new scheme taking effect next year.

As I have already mentioned, these measures have already been provided for by way of regulations made before Christmas. Therefore, this measure is already in force and is now simply being transposed into primary legislation.

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