Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We have an eminent, internationally-respected expert in the field of concrete who has conducted some tests on homes in Donegal. He has found in all of them, unfortunately, that pyrrhotite is the chief offender in terms of the distress and destruction of those homes. He said at this committee today that it would be absolutely prudent to test the foundations and not to invest in partial or full remediation on existing foundations that have not been tested. I am not asking Mr. Espey to comment. I just wanted to state that. It would be unfair to ask Mr. Espey to go into that further. We have had a good interaction.

Deputy O'Donoghue raised an issue around VAT. The cap currently stands at €420,000. As that figure includes the €20,000 relocation cost, the cap is €400,000 in real terms. Let us just work off the original figures cited by Deputy O'Donoghue. The VAT impact on €420,000 would take that figure down to €370,000 in real terms. If we deduct the €20,000 for relocation costs, the cap on what the Government is contributing in real terms is actually €350,000. These homeowners have already paid tax and VAT on the original home they built. They are being asked to pay VAT and tax for the second time. Is it not time to be honest? There has been a whole communication that the cap is €420,000 throughout country. Is it not time to say that in net terms, the cap is actually €350,000?