Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday's edition of the Irish Independentcontained a report by Niall O'Connor on the help-to-buy scheme announced by the Government last October. It is of great concern to me that I have been inundated with queries in my constituency office from first-time buyers who are seeking to purchase properties built by contractors who have not registered with the Revenue Commissioners. The grant under the help-to-buy scheme is unavailable to them on the basis that the contractor has not registered. It is completely unacceptable that they find themselves in this position. Yesterday morning the Revenue Commissioners published a list which included 13 contractors who had registered. By yesterday afternoon 17 contractors in the entire country had registered. I find it extraordinary that the Government has not introduced a mandatory requirement for contractors to register with Revenue in order to assist and protect first-time buyers. The requirements to be met by registering contractors are published on Revenue's website and include evidence of tax compliance, the contractor's VAT details, an up-to-date tax clearance certificate, details of the contractor's address, planning and land holdings. At a time when house prices are rising fast and so many are desperately trying to put the necessary deposit together to buy their first home, the Government is failing first-time buyers badly. It is well and good to announce feel-good schemes in an effort to generate positive publicity, but it is evident from queries to my office and from the Revenue Commissioners who have confirmed the details that the scheme mentioned is not working. I ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, to attend the House to explain why it is not working and there is no mandatory obligation on contractors to register. There are serious faults in the legislation which they need to iron out. They must explain to first-time buyers that they will not receive the grant if contractors are not registered. Many first-time buyers are not aware of this.

Earlier this week the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, raised concerns about air quality levels in Dublin as 13 of the monitoring stations in the city had reported the lowest air quality rating. High levels of air pollution have been linked with lung and heart disease and can have severe adverse effects on the health of the most vulnerable in society. The EPA has warned those suffering from ill health to avoid strenuous physical activity outside. Low air quality is linked with local pollution sources such as road vehicles and home heating emissions which combine with the cold. I call on the Government to take the issue of air quality more seriously. Low air quality poses a serious threat to the health of the most vulnerable in society.