Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. This idea is very good and it has been promoted by Fianna Fáil and many others in the House. Having read through pages 1 to 7, I believe there is more red tape associated with the relief than any other. God be with the days when there was a simplified form to apply for a relief of this nature.

There is an impression that there is a grant available. It is not a grant and it does not apply to those who are not in the tax net although their houses may need renovation by a C2 contractor. The relief is wrapped in red tape. Deputy Noonan, who has had experience at local level all his life in addition to experience as a Minister, should consider the implementation of the system and the presentation of the form. I have been speaking to many contractors who are anxious to get involved in the scheme. The scheme is good but, from having read the Bill, I believe a simplified form, approach and application process should be designed by the Minister and his officials.

I concur with my colleague Senator Darragh O'Brien that the relief should be made available in the year of the work or the subsequent year, not further down the line, in order to make it more attractive.

The idea is good and the scheme will be self-financing, as the Minister knows. Can the Minister envisage any way in which the scheme could be turned into a grant scheme for those who want work carried out but who are not in the tax system, or those earning an income below the specified level? Could he simplify the process to make the scheme more accessible to small contractors?

I am confident that contractors will be inundated with requests to have reconstruction work carried out on the primary residence. The scheme applies to the primary residence only but it is broad in the sense that it can apply to the garden, surrounding walls and front lawn, provided there is C2 certification. A number of different jobs could be done throughout the year and be packaged as part of one bundle, provided one does not exceed the threshold pertaining to the relief.