Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As there is no prohibition on lobbying, people are free to lobby if they so wish. I have received letters from all parties, including the Deputy's. I would need to check my diary, but off the top of my head, I have not had any such meeting. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ring, is handling this matter on my behalf and that of the Department. He is the person who has attended most of these meetings. Councillors and others should not be in possession of any information because the scheme prohibits communication of that nature.

A considerable number of applications are ineligible either because there are no matching funds or because the applicant has no planning permission or does not own the land on which it is proposed to build. One of the difficulties with the scheme is that a very large number of applicants were ineligible in the first instance and consequently could not be given any grants. There is a precedent for Ministers taking the initiative to grant funds to ineligible applicants but that will not be happening on this occasion.

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