Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State has proven my point. Under such a proposal he would have the opportunity to re-register his car in Cork. Such a provision might yield a revenue stream. If one were to talk to the owner of any garage that deals in second hand cars, they would say that it is very difficult, particularly in Dublin, to sell cars with rural registration plates. A small change such as that would allow second hand cars especially, of which there is currently a glut, to be sold.

I welcome the provision for farm consolidation, which is a matter I raised with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I refer to the concept of an outside farm, where a person is farming in an area and land comes up for sale beside him. On purchasing it he also has an outside farm two or three miles away from his own farm. The tax associated with consolidating land up to now was prohibitive. In acknowledging we are trying to meet the targets in Food Harvest 2020 while allowing a farmer the opportunity to extend his property, that measure, together with the stock relief for young farmers and stamp duty on transfers, are tangible provisions that will make a big difference in rural areas and in sustaining the agricultural community into the future.

This Bill is being brought forward against an awful economic backdrop and it is a small incremental step forward. No gigantic leaps are going to be made by the Government to restore the economic situation we have inherited but incrementally this is another rung in the ladder. It is about restoring hope and confidence and the measures, even the few to which I referred, will help that in some way. I support the Bill.

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