Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Parlon addressed the undersupply of housing and all members know there is a huge issue in the country in that regard. He also discussed the fast-track planning that decreased a period of approximately two and a half years to perhaps just over a year. Does he get a sense of the required urgency from the Department? We get it from the Minister but does he get it from the Department? This is probably going off the issue a little but I have waited all day to ask it. Everybody is focused on the issue of housing at the moment because it is extremely cold and there are 8,500 homeless people in the country, most of whom will have a roof over their head tonight. However, in terms of the cost of doing business, the committee heard earlier in the year from a colleague of mine who said that when he discussed possibly reducing the VAT rate he was laughed out of town. Can Mr. Parlon give any guarantee that if there was a reduction in VAT it would be passed on to the purchaser and would not be dissipated in the building process? There are a couple of questions there.