Mr. Niall Cody:

There are limits on what we can do under the EU VAT rules. We have dealt with this issue at various fora and have responded to various parliamentary questions about the options that are available. We apply a 13.5% rate on construction across the board. We could not zero-rate new houses. There are options around social housing but there is no flexibility to have a zero rate on new houses under EU VAT law, which we are bound by.