Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue for debate. I have already spoken to the Minister about it and I know he is working on the matter. I am raising this item in the context of recent changes that were made to the Central Bank's lending requirements for mortgages. There is a specific issue concerning one-off rural houses. When houses are being built currently, the burden of regulation on signing off on the construction element is fairly onerous. That is because the person who draws down a mortgage for a one-off rural house is not the same as a standard developer. In other words, they are taking 100% of the risk, so it is in their interest that the house is properly built, engineered and overseen.

In common with other Deputies, I have been contacted by draftsmen, engineering technicians, architectural technicians and technologists who for years have built up a level of experience in maintaining a good stock of one-off rural houses. The Minister of State will know from his own constituency that one-off houses did not cause the difficulties arising from the construction sector's collapse, and neither did one-off houses cause difficulties such as those at Priory Hall or with pyrite.

People building one-off houses are insistent that proper standards are required. Sign-off costs for one-off houses currently range from €4,000 to €7,000 plus VAT. Another problem is that some people who have built up quite an amount of experience in recent years, including technologists and engineers, are excluded from being able to sign off for an individual's mortgage drawdown. Shrinking the number of people who can do this, particularly in rural locations, is adding to the cost burden involved.

The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government had very good reasons for introducing such changes. As we all know, the low standards that applied under the previous Administration left us with pyrite and Priory Hall. They also left us with houses falling down all over the country and unfinished housing estates. Given that the mortgagor for one-off houses is taking 100% of the risk involved, that risk is not borne by the State. The Minister of State will not find anyone knocking on his office door at the Custom House having had difficulties with a one-off rural house due to planning permission and the way in which such construction is supervised. He will find, however, that speculative sales in housing estates are causing problems.

I would like to see some sort of re-examination of the building regulations regarding one-off houses. This re-examination should include architects, engineers and technicians with years of experience in the design, construction and supervision of such projects, including the drawdown of mortgage stage payments for one-off rural houses. The Department should ascertain whether we have gone too far in this respect. Anecdotally, from my own constituency in County Limerick, technologists and technicians say that on the one hand they are being pushed out, while, on the other, costs are rising.

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