The Tanaiste and Minister for Finance Brian Cowen has confirmed that stamp duty was discussed at the first meeting of the cabinet at Áras an Uachteráin last night.
The Tanaiste indicated the matter would be dealt with very quickly when the Dail resumes on June the 26th and measures would become law before the Summer break.
Fianna Fail gave a pre-election commitment to reform the tax on house purchases.
Figures last week from the Irish Banking Federation (IBF) showed that the number of new mortgages lent by Irish financial institutions dropped by 19% in the first three months of this year compared to the same period in 2006.
The IBF had cited higher interest rates and sustained market uncertainty around signalled changes in the stamp duty regime as the reasons for the slowdown.
