Vol. 403 No. 1
54 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Justice when he intends to hold a referendum on the abolition of the ground rent system as referred to in a parliamentary question on 25 April 1990; the reason it has not been done in conjunction with the Presidential Election; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
164 Mr. Cosgrave asked the Minister for Justice if he will consider the holding of a referendum on the abolition of ground rents in conjunction with the local elections scheduled for June 1991.
165 Mr. Cosgrave asked the Minister for Justice the investigations which have taken place within his Department in relation to the abolishing of ground rents; if he will outline with whom he has had discussions in relation to this issue; the nature of such discussions; and the action, if any, he proposes to take as a result.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 54, 164, and 165 together. I have already indicated to the House, in reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 114 and 115 of 29 May 1990, Official Report, Vol. 399, col. 556, that the Government have no plans for legislation to enable a referendum to take place on the abolition of ground rents without compensation. It would be wrong in principle to confiscate property in that way and successive Governments have been of that view.
I have made clear to the House on a number of occasions, in reply to parliamentary questions, that the Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rents) Act, 1978, prevents the creation of new ground rents on dwellinghouses and that the Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rents) (No. 2) Act, 1978, provides, as regards existing ground rents on dwellinghouses, a low cost purchase scheme. The Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rents) (Amendment) Act, 1987, extends indefinitely the operation of that scheme.
The existing law therefore provides a ready means by which any person can abolish the ground rent payable on his dwellinghouse and a considerable number of people have availed themselves of that opportunity.
