John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With reference to the programme for Government and dealing with the housing crisis, does the Government have any plans to introduce either legislation or guidelines on the provision of bonds for developers to proceed with the building of houses? I am aware of situations where some local authorities are looking for a bond based on the value of the contract. Others are looking for that but are adding a time limit, with some as long as five to seven years. This is making it practically impossible for the developer to get the bond to build the house. This is an issue and, as Deputy Lowry mentioned earlier, creates red tape and difficulty around getting jobs started.

The Minister mentioned an €18 million announcement this morning for 56 houses in O'Devaney Gardens. That equates to €320,000 per unit. The cost of building needs to be reduced and this forms part of that issue.

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