Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am thankful for the general welcome of the scheme in the House. The primary purpose of the scheme is to stimulate increased activity in the building and development sector and to boost employment. One consequence of the bad results over recent years is that the skills of approximately 80,000 people on the live register are primarily those required for the construction industry, including those of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, block layers and plasterers.

Irrespective of what labour activation measures are introduced, especially for those of middle age, I do not believe all workers will be turned into electronic engineers or become suited to working in Facebook, Google or whatever the new industries are. We are obliged, therefore, to ensure that jobs are made available for persons with the skills in question in a socially useful way.

The secondary purpose of the measure is to improve people's living standards so those who need extra space can provide it and obtain a tax credit for doing so. They can improve the family home, which has the social benefit of increasing living standards.

The relief costs money. I have often heard of self-financing tax breaks but I have yet to come across one.