Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

In last December's budget the Government finally relented and gave some small measure of relief to first-time house buyers in respect of the stamp duty they must pay. As you know, Sir, under Standing Order 30, I have raised a matter upon which you will rule soon. However, it is a very urgent issue, which I would like to raise on the Order of Business. It now seems that under guidelines issued by the Revenue Commissioners to the financial institutions last month, if the name of a parent or family member is on the mortgage application document on behalf of the first-time buyer, or if any moneys have been given to the first-time buyer from a family member or other party, the buyer will automatically lose the stamp duty relief.

This is a very serious matter. The Finance Act rightly gave an advantage to first time buyers on stamp duty. Now, however, Revenue is reinterpreting guidelines on an Act of the Oireachtas in a most arbitrary and unfair way to first time buyers. The story is in today's edition of The Irish Times and I have had cases where people have been stung for between €9,000 and €10,000. These are people who are not on the housing ladder, but want their first opportunity to buy a house. Now they are being taxed despite the wishes of these Houses.

I am raising this issue under Standing Order 30 and I will return to it. I ask the Leader to seek immediate clarification from the Department of Finance and from the Revenue Commissioners on the issue. We all recognise the right of people in this country to buy a house. First time buyers have been squeezed out of the market. Why penalise them further when the Houses of the Oireachtas have passed legislation to help them? I ask for the support of the Leader on this matter.

Over ten days ago the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform announced that he wanted to liberalise licences for restaurants in Ireland. I refer to the bold, radical measure which the Vintners Federation of Ireland has been seeking for the past ten years. Will this be done by regulation or legislation? When are we likely to see these radical changes, which have been sought by the vested interests?

Approximately 160 new amendments are to be made to the Garda Síochána Bill in the other House, following an extensive examination of the Bill in this House a few months ago. The Bill is due to return here next week and in view of this will the Leader organise a briefing in advance with justice spokespeople to ensure the Department will at least allocate more time to this House for deliberation than was allocated to the other House?