Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I ask about the promised legislation on windfall taxes on property developers and land speculators. I again remind the Tánaiste that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government promised this legislation when he addressed a meeting of the Irish Planning Institute in Westport. He said that he had the support of his Cabinet colleagues for the measure and that it had been cleared by the Attorney General.

As I said yesterday, when I raised the matter with the Taoiseach on 8 April 2008, he said that it would be included in the Property Services Regulatory Authority Bill. However, in reply to a Dáil question from Deputy Shortall, the Tánaiste said last week: "the Deputy will be aware that the programme for Government does not include provision for the introduction of such a tax and there are no plans at this stage to introduce a tax of this type".

As the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is sitting beside the Tánaiste this morning, can we have clarification of that matter? Will a windfall tax on land sales and speculation be introduced, as promised by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in Westport or will it not be introduced, as stated by the Tánaiste last week in reply to a question?

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