Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What is the proposal then? The Minister has heard this. I have raised it with him numerous times. If he were to turn around to Mr. Rafferty and say, "Mr. Rafferty, please develop a scheme that would help with upfront payments", Mr. Rafferty would respond. He is here as the face of the Department, so I am not personally making the claims against him, but I have to represent my constituents and have to be able to face them when I go back to Donegal and meet them elsewhere.

There is huge delay. We still do not know what this looks like. The homeowners are telling the Department that professional fees alone are not going to cut it and that what we need is working capital. They have told the Department that. I think they have given the Department live examples of timber-frame houses being built. I will give Mr. Rafferty an example I have here. If somebody is rebuilding under this scheme and has been quoted for the works, the timber frame producer requires €70,000 upfront. How does he or she deal with that? If you are buying a timber-frame house, you have to pay a certain amount upfront. They are not professional fees. How does he or she deal with that under the scheme the Department has developed?