Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

The key issue is that a construction company in Navan that was building for the council went bust very recently. We need to know why builders cannot build and make a profit. They are scared of the risk that exists in the market and, therefore, they are not getting involved in it. The costs are not being mitigated at some level by the Government, such as through a reduction of taxation on building materials. We need accessible contracts for which smaller builders can tender. We also need to get rid of some of the bureaucratic red tape that exists at local authority level. Until we do all of this we will not get to a situation where homes will be built. Everything else is by the by. Everything else is missing the point completely. If a builder cannot build a house for a profit and take on the risk houses will not be built. This is the case for the majority of small builders in the country today.

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