Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The practice is that the Revenue Commissioners, where they believe there is tax evasion or avoidance, bring the information to the attention of the Department of Finance. In the annual finance Bill, we close the gaps. We do not do it immediately or with a special finance Bill but we do it as we are doing it tonight. I have no problem in asking the Revenue Commissioners to provide the budgetary committee with a report on the practice or malpractice. I will get them to do that and have it sent to the clerk of the budgetary committee, the finance committee or both. I will give Deputies the full information.

There are always schemes for avoiding or evading tax. When it comes to a point where the Revenue Commissioners have hard information, they ask for amendments in the law. They carried out a review earlier this year and told the Department of Finance about it. We were not quite ready when the Bill was published to have an amendment to deal with this but we did it by means of Committee Stage amendment. The gap has now been closed. There is a legitimate scheme whereby family homes may be transferred to adult children caring for their parents or a disabled family member. This was a very good provision but it allowed a gap for abuse and there is no doubt it occurred when houses were being purchased for children who were not in any kind of a caring or supportive role. We are not talking about young children when we speak about children. We are talking about adult members of families getting gifts of property from their parents. The transfer is from parents to adult children rather than the colloquial use of the term.

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