Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)

I, too, support the Finance Bill. There has been much debate in the Chamber, both for and against. The VAT rate is not just about the hospitality industry, it also affects hairdressers. Many hairdressers have been lobbying on the VAT rate which closed some of them down.It is certainly most welcome that this reduction is to be extended not only to the hospitality industry, and especially to the smaller businesses because they are suffering, but also to hairdressers. With regard to the VAT rate and tax relief for apartments, many of us who have been around here for a while have dealt with people who are living in very difficult situations. Their apartments are not up to standard and there are many issues with them. I recently stood in an apartment with a young couple. There was dampness and the whole lot. The fact that there is now a tax relief for landlords to renovate such apartments will encourage them to do so. They can claim the tax back in the same year.

Many companies are involved in research and development, and this leads to job creation. We are losing sight of this in the Finance Bill in the context of tax relief. It is about supporting companies in their research and development. Many of them are expanding based on what they find.

On the tax relief relating to film, Senator Malcolm Byrne referred to Wexford. Limerick has a big film industry, with the old Dell factory having become Troy Studios. Film Limerick has won many awards locally, nationally and internationally. It covers the mid-west. Film is a growing industry. With regard to third level education, different Ministers for higher education have invested in the film industry. Many people study film through the ETBs and the technological universities, the former institutes of technology. A number of jobs are created in that way. That has to be welcomed. I have highlighted a few of the different initiatives in this Finance Bill that I believe we lead to the creation of sustainable jobs, providing an uplift for all areas of Ireland.