David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Can I compliment the Cathaoirleach on his attire? He has a very county look this afternoon and it is nice to see it in the House.

Some years ago, I raised the question of the decline of Georgian houses in the city centre of Dublin and I tabled amendments, or recommendations as they are called, on budget day. I discussed this with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, and he subsequently introduced the Living City initiative. However, there were supposed to be EU reasons it was confined to Waterford and Limerick. They were overcome and I spoke to him again explaining how essential it was that Dublin be included.

Now, we have the Living City initiative extended to Dublin but some mean-minded, ideologically driven little squirt of a civil servant has inserted a measure capping it at 200 sq. m. when Georgian houses are all over 400 sq. m. This was no accident and was deliberately done. A Department of Finance source said it was in order not to create a tax relief for what was described as mansion houses. Yes, it was done deliberately to help people like myself. I will not benefit from this because I have finished my house but people on limited resources take on a house and do it up one room per year. This person seems to want to have Georgian houses divided up into one-bedroom flats again. This way leads to disaster. Fly by night businesses will be encouraged to take up these grants. It is quite extraordinary. It is a hucksters' charter and will do nothing for the Georgian houses for which I made the initial appeal that led to the Living City initiative. I ask the Leader to contact the Minister for Finance, as I will do, and send on a copy of the Order of Business and ask what on earth is going on. How is it that Fine Gael is standing over a deliberate, ideologically-driven attack on our Georgian heritage? That is what it is and it is not good enough that this comes from anonymous civil servants.