Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister said that behavioural changes have already commenced. It would be helpful to the House if the Minister could identify those behavioural changes. For instance, are the companies experiencing some kind of conversion to corporate social responsibility in terms of their making a contribution to the Exchequer in respect of properties which they bought cheaply? While some of these properties are being refurbished and improved these companies have played a major role in rising rent costs in respect of which presumably they are making a killing. It is on that basis that I believe the figure provided by the Minister is very conservative.

I note that one of the companies, Kennedy Wilson, wrote to the Minister about five days prior to the budget announcement. It would be helpful to the House if the Minister would enlighten us as to the reason a number of specific points in Kennedy Wilson's correspondence to the Minister, which was a potentially influential letter five days prior to announcement of the budget, are redacted. I have difficulty understanding why that should be the case. This is a matter of enormous public interest in the context of the housing crisis and as such the House deserves to be given full information.

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