Heather Humphreys, TD

The Minister for Health Dr. James Reilly T.D. will host an Informal Meeting of European Health Ministers at Dublin Castle on the 4th and 5th March as part of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Both our economies are closely tied in so many ways and we want this close relationship to continue and be built on for many generations to come.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, for his presence. A number of key issues raised during the debate on the original Bill are being written into this legislation, mainly in regard to exemptions for the most vulnerable, deferrals for low income households and a reduction of rates for local authorities. I welcome these as improvements to the original Bill introduced last year.

I would like to acknowledge the complex task of establishing a new tax base, one that is sustainable, and one that does not affect our competitiveness and job creation. This particular tax base, in its nature is open to various anomalies, interpretations and exemptions. It requires a substantial amount of logistical and legal expertise that has evidently been applied to both this Bill and the tax as a whole, while at the same time ensuring it is fit for its purpose, which is to fund local services.

To ask the Minister for Finance the extent to which he has had discussions with the lending agencies here with a view to ensuring the ready availability of adequate working capital to the industrial, commercial and retail sectors...

To ask the Minister for Finance the extent to which the competitiveness of the economy has improved when compared with other EU economies...

To ask the Minister for Finance the extent to which he can foresee an improvement in economic growth over the next two years...

Like other speakers, I am glad to have an opportunity to speak in this debate. It is interesting and ironic that we visit once again our dark past and the secrets with which our society lived...

To ask the Minister for Finance the extent to which he has had discussions with the lending agencies here with a view to ensuring the ready availability of adequate working capital to the industrial, commercial and retail sectors...

To ask the Minister for Finance the extent to which the competitiveness of the economy has improved when compared with other EU economies...