Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On page 19 of the programme for Government, leadership on housing, there is a simple anomaly in the new rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme. An applicant cannot lodge an application or get approval in principle on a loan to buy a site and build a home without first getting planning permission on the site. This is further evidence of the bureaucracy that has caused every other housing initiative up to now to fail. How can we expect a couple to spend money on securing planning permission for a site they do not own, so they can apply for a home loan for which they might ultimately get a refusal? Surely it should be possible to get approval in principle and then require full planning before drawing down the actual loan.

This is proof that the Government has more interest in rules and regulations than in getting a fully functional and workable scheme. This requires a simple change. I would like the Government to commit to it today.

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