Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister on his new post. I will keep this quite simple. I have known Senator Dolan and all the great work he has done for people with disabilities over the years. I often hear people in my locality speaking fondly about Senator Dolan and the work he has done. I am certainly delighted to support his motion today.

People with disabilities should be prioritised in any housing policy. Council strategic policy committees, SPCs, have a responsibility to shoulder and a weight that must be carried in this regard. They should really try harder to facilitate people with disabilities, as there is no doubt they should be a priority. There have been upgrades and changes to planning regulations over the years and there has been an associated cost in bringing housing on-stream. The changes required for people with disabilities relate to door widths, room sizes, levels of lights and so on. There have been major steps forward but it has brought an associated cost.

There was a proposal from the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers relating to VAT and housing. It could provide a small step forward. If a builder or developer spoke with a council about a project and the Department indicated that housing for people with disabilities would be VAT-free, it could provide a major step forward. There might be a chance for the Department to trial it on a small scale. We did calculations and at the time it was indicated that there would be savings of approximately 19%. I know 13.5% is the broader rate for a builder, but there is a cost for goods and levies, which might be excluded by the council. The saving could be 18% to 20%. This would be a good place to start, as it is practical. Perhaps we are close to covering the cost of building in Dublin but we are not at that point yet in most counties, so nobody is looking at these projects. There are many people sitting on sites. If these people could speak with council representatives and build for 18% or 20% less, it would make the project more attractive. If there are 50 people with disabilities that need housing urgently, this approach could certainly tackle such a problem. It could be a massive step forward and it would be cost-neutral.

I know the Minister is very resourceful and has done much work. He has taken submissions from several bodies. I also appreciate the hard job he has, as the former Minister of State, Senator Coffey, knows. Perhaps he could consider this again, as it might provide the answer we want.