Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Colm Burke. The Senator clearly has a commanding grasp of this issue and I look forward to further engagement with him on it. I share the Senator's fundamental concern. There is an issue. It has been well flagged but it has not been well addressed. That is how I would sum it up. Farming families - I come from a rural constituency and am familiar with that particular challenge - and indeed families with small businesses who have worked hard and have paid their contributions along the way to the State suffer a discriminatory practice where the three-year cap is not applied to their assets but it is applied in the case of those with a principal private residences. I want to see that anomaly addressed.

As the Senator will appreciate, I am only a week in the position but I met my officials yesterday on this issue and asked them to give me a briefing on it, which they did. On the back of that, I looked for the IFA to come in and meet me which, of course, it is more than willing to do. I understand negotiations have been ongoing with the IFA. I want to conclude those negotiations soon because the issue has dragged on too long and it needs to be addressed. As the Minister of State with responsibility for this issue, I am determined to address it forthwith and I look forward to doing that as quick as I can.