Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

I call for a debate on the role being played by the Revenue Commissioners. There was discussion last week on the Order of Business with regard to the Revenue Commissioners exerting undue pressure on businesses, farmers and the farming community to pay taxes when they did not have the money to do so and the Revenue Commissioners showing little or no flexibility in that regard. This was causing businesses to close and damaging the prospects of new employment being created. I also question the role being played by the customs section of the Revenue Commissioners with regard to a number of cases in my constituency. One of these concerned a person from Donegal with a registered business in the North of Ireland who spends most of his time in the North and whose vehicle was seized recently. Instead of engaging with the individual the Revenue officers contacted the finance HP company which is located in the United Kingdom and told it the vehicle had been seized. That HP company now wants the vehicle returned. This gentleman stands to lose approximately €15,000 or €16,000 and his business, which employs eight people just across the Border from Donegal, is now under serious threat. That should not be allowed continue. At the very least that man should have been allowed an exemption under SI 60/1993 which is referred to in section 135(a) of the Finance Act. I fail to understand the reason the Revenue Commissioners would victimise an individual in such a manner. This morning I e-mailed the Minister for Finance and officials in that Department but we need an urgent debate on the role played by the Revenue Commissioners because they are hounding people. It is not fair.

I support the amendment to the Order of Business on the taking of the Water Services (Amendment) Bill today. I hope the Leader might agree to the sensible proposal from Senator Darragh O'Brien because the large volume of amendments submitted by Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil cannot be discussed in their entirety in two and a half hours. I hope the Leader of the House will allow us debate the Bill until midnight tonight and resume it on Friday because if debate on that issue is stifled in the same manner it was stifled last week it will undermine the status of Seanad Éireann and hold this House in contempt.