Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I return to the issue of tax reliefs and allowances and what the Taoiseach has stated is a deferral of the withdrawal of a tax allowance and how the policy will be implemented after 21 January 2020. While it represents a kicking of the can down the road, it still does not address the key issue for thousands of workers. One major sector of the 130 being reviewed is Tara Mines in my home town of Navan, where 700 miners are set to lose the allowance. The allowance was designed to cover specialised creams and treatments. It is a genuine allowance for workers working in very difficult and stifling underground conditions. It is hardly archaic, as I have heard some suggest in the last 24 hours. It has been in place for 40 years and helps to mitigate the harsh impact on the workers. The Taoiseach has suggested they can become vouched expenses, but it is frustrating that it will mean another layer of bureaucracy to receive a small amount of money. I spoke directly to Revenue about the matter and the review of the allowances claimed by those working in the mine has been completed. Notwithstanding the deferral of implementation, is the communication detailing the breakdown of qualifying expenses still going be issued to workers this year, or will it too be deferred as it seems to fall into the bad news category?

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