Government loses Dáil vote after FF abstains on Fair Deal motion

The Government has been defeated after Fianna Fáil abstained in a Dáil vote on the Fair Deal scheme and its impact on the assets of farmers and small businesses.

TDs voted by 50 to 48 with 38 abstentions against a Government amendment to the motion from the rural group of Independent TDs.

The motion calls on the Government to honour the commitment in the programme for a partnership government to “remove discrimination against small businesses and family farms”.

It also calls for the introduction of a reduced charge on the farm or business assets, to remove the uncertainty for farm families and the self-employed sector whose relatives require nursing homecare, so that they can “protect the future viability of the farm/business asset for future generations”.

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Rural TDs also called on the Government to reduce the time an asset needs to be transferred before entering a nursing home from five years to three.

They want the Government to immediately publish the recommendations of the interdepartmental working group on the Fair Deal scheme and call for legislation to be published and passed to allow the changes to be introduced.

Budget 2018

The motion also demands that sufficient funding be allocated in Budget 2018 to allow the changes come into effect next year.

It brings to almost 20 the number of votes the Government has lost on private members’ business.

But apart from the now long-diminished embarrassment factor, the lost votes have little impact on Cabinet decisions.

Two weeks ago, after reported distraction in Fine Gael over the leadership contest, the Government missed calling a vote and the Dáil decided to suspend the sale of the State’s shareholding in AIB. The Minister for Finance however this week confirmed the sale will go ahead.

However the rural TDs have a better than average chance of some action on their motion as the defeated Government amendment was similar to theirs in a number of aspects including bringing forward proposals for change “in the context of Budget 2018”.

It also pledges to honour the programme for government commitment to “remove discrimination against small businesses and family farms”. The Government also said it would publish the necessary legislation “without undue delay”.