Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

During the debate on this issue last year, the Minister clearly undertook to close a loophole. He needs to give the House a clear indication of the impact of this proposal will be. Will it result in a gain to the Exchequer and if so, how much and over what period? Alternatively, will it result in a loss to the Exchequer and if so, how much is that loss and over what period? It is regrettable that in the case of these amendments, which are quite technical, no detailed briefing material is available, whether on a dedicated website available to people who are dealing with the Finance Bill or by way of a detailed briefing. We need to know. There is now a budgetary oversight committee and the Government has committed to greater transparency but it has introduced an amendment such as this without a detailed explanation of what it is about and its likely financial impact on the Exchequer, good or bad. It is essential that the Government clarify this now. If there is no financial impact, will the Minister tell Members in order that they can assess the proposal?

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