Almost 40,000 people have signed an Uplift.ie petition organised by Dr. Rory Hearne that was delivered to the Dáil this week. It calls on the Government to end favourable tax treatment for investment funds and to restrict the sale of new homes to individuals and not-for-profit organisations. Investment funds have driven up rents and house prices in Ireland to unsustainable and unaffordable levels. Rents have almost doubled in the past decade since the Tánaiste took office. House prices have more than doubled during that time. We now have among the highest rents and house prices in Europe. The rent pressure zones introduced by Fine Gael have failed completely and have been breached in every part of the country in which they were introduced. In the budget will the Government bring in measures to end the favourable tax treatment of investment funds?

That is a budgetary decision and I am not in a position today to comment on what is or is not in the budget. Certainly the Minister for Finance will consider any proposal made in the context of the budget and the Finance Bill that will follow thereafter.