The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has a number of items of legislation on the Government's legislative programme. Is there anything in those pieces of legislation that will be used to reduce commercial rates? These rates are crippling small businesses, particularly retail businesses, throughout the country. Also, is there legislation on the way that will allow the Government to revisit the issue of upward only rents or is that issue finally dead in the water?

We can only debate matters relating to promised legislation.

The issue of commercial rates is a matter for local authorities and they have discretion as to what they do in that regard. With regard to upward only rents, the Minister for Finance informed the House of the Government's position on this issue in the last budget.

So it is dead in the water and there is no progress on it.