Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

Does the Minister of State agree that people whose lands are compulsorily purchased against their wishes should not be liable for tax? For example, dairy farmers who decide to invest their money in other lands after their livelihood has been destroyed should not have such a penalty imposed on them. It is grossly unfair and does no one any service.

The Government finally woke up to people's housing concerns on stamp duties. Unfortunately, it is introducing a threshold level of €317,000. I would enjoy travelling around Dublin with the Minister and his officials for a week to try to see what can be bought for that amount. We would all be shocked as the answer is very little. If one reads the property supplement in any weekly newspaper, one will see that most prices are over that level. The threshold is too low.