Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael)

I want to make a number of points. I spoke on the recent statements on the budget in the broader context of budget 2026. I want to make a number of points about the Finance Bill, which is substantial legislation, running to 152 pages. I want to raise a number of issues. On the agricultural front, I recognise the extension of some of the young trained farmer reliefs. It is important that we promote the next generation of farmers. Without farmers, there is no food and it is important that we put in a taxation system and a framework around that that works.

In last year's budget, there was a removal of a specific type of agricultural relief, which is called the conditional gift relief. This was for farmers, in particular, who had saved money for many years to purchase a farm or piece of land that might come available only once in a generation. The idea was that if you were transferring the farm to the next generation or if a new farmer had inherited the farm from the previous generation, that sum of money and the savings that were built up over many years could be transferred and avail of agricultural relief for the next generation, provided that it was used to purchase land within the next two years. Last year's budget removed the tax relief as a measure, effective from 1 January 2025. I implore the Minister and the officials in the Department of Finance to review that measure and perhaps table an amendment to bring it back. It is not something that I imagine actually costs the Exchequer an enormous amount of funding, but I feel it is important, particularly given the unique context that land might only become available adjoining your farm once in a generation, and perhaps there are certain farmers to whom that opportunity never made its way. The strict measure that was there to ensure that the relief could only be used if it was actually used for acquiring land within two years certainly acted as a counterweight to the measure itself. That should be looked at again. Perhaps the Minister might be able to come back to us, when we move to the next Stage, to tell us what the actual cost to the Exchequer of such a measure was.

I want to speak about the increase in youth unemployment. We really need to assess this as a country. Some of the figures on this are quite surprising. At the moment, we have about 5% unemployment, almost a historic low, but it is up from last year's 4.2%, over the past 12 months. I want to speak about youth unemployment. The reality is that almost a third of all people who are unemployed at the moment are aged between 15 and 24. We need to look at this. There was an increase year on year from 10.9% to 13.4%, which is a 15% increase overall. Perhaps we need to look at the reason for that, why it has gone up so much, and why, of the age category who are claiming unemployment benefit, a full one in three are actually in that age cohort. Are there measures that can be brought forward as part of the Finance Bill or in other parts of the Government to look at this? I want to discuss the whole area of the film tax credit relief and its extension from 32% to 40%. We have a very successful track record in my county, Wexford, of using it to promote the area for films. The beach scenes and many others in the famous film "Saving Private Ryan" were shot in Wexford. Screen Wexford is very successful at promoting County Wexford as a destination for films. I welcome that there will be an increase in the tax credit up to 40%. It is important we get the word out that if the profit made by that film is not up to the value of the credit, the credit can go further and act as a grant and Revenue will give that money back. I recognise that measure in this Finance Bill. On the whole, I recognise the contributions by colleagues. I look forward perhaps to the opportunity to debate this further on the next Stage.