Rónán Mullen (Independent)

I was very taken with the last few contributions and the very pertinent issues raised by Senator Bradford. Senator Norris's Proustian flashbacks give us all a moment of joy as we work into the evening. The smell of mown grass is not unknown in east Galway and Senator Norris is welcome to visit any time.

There is good sense in the Fine Gael amendment. I accept the principle of the Bill and that it is a good Bill but I take Senator Norris's point that one can conceive of situations in which it might not be entirely just that people would escape payment of the moneys in question when they could well afford to pay. Whenever legislation refers to parents it is especially significant. My father told a story, which is less a Proustian flashback than a reflection on tougher times in Ireland, of a tenant farmer who boasted that he was raising a large family, putting money in the bank and paying off an old debt. The old debt referred to having his parents living with him and he was putting money in the bank because his kids would one day take care of him and put a roof over his head. Those days may be gone but the concept of granny flats or adjacent dwellings is known to us all and these dwellings vary greatly in standard and construction. I support the amendment in general terms and do not doubt that the Minister will come forward with a provision to the effect that people who own the accommodation in which their parents live will not be liable for this levy.