Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

Deputy Boyd Barrett will be aware, coming from the constituency he does, that Ireland has inherited a very rich architectural heritage of buildings going back centuries. Some of them are private dwellings in which people live. The maintenance and upkeep of those buildings is very extensive because of their age and the manner in which they were built in the past. In order to ensure that this heritage would survive and be maintained, Governments of different complexions have over the years provided tax incentives and tax relief to the private owners of private dwellings in which they live to maintain and restore those buildings on condition that they make those buildings open to the public so that the wider public can share that heritage.

There is no "one law for the rich and one law for the poor". The laws in regard to heritage preservation are open to everybody who is in a position to avail of them. To the best of my knowledge, that is what has happened in this instance.

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