Fianna Fáil urges Paschal Donohoe not to scrap self-build supports

TD says self-builders fear Department of Public Expenditure's suggestion that the Local Authority Home Loan, Help-to-Buy, and the First Home Schemes may not be needed

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe.  Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Fianna Fáil is pushing Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe to ignore a report from his own department and instead guarantee that supports of up to €100,000 for self-builders will not be changed.

First-time buyers building their own home are eligible for the Local Authority Home Loan, Help-to-Buy, and the First Home Schemes.

But a recent report by the Department of Public Expenditure criticised the supports and suggested that they may not be needed.

Cork South-West TD Christopher O’Sullivan said these initiatives are working for first-time buyers and provide up to €100,000 towards building their own home.

Mr O’Sullivan said that the report published by Mr Donohoe’s department fails to take account of the additional burdens faced by those building their own homes.

Mr O’Sullivan said that rural one-off housing is needed, and represents approximately 20% of housing delivery over the past number of years.

He said that those first-time buyers who build their own home are just as entitled to supports as those who buy in a newly built development.

Mr O’Sullivan said: “I meet with couples who wouldn’t have been able to build their own home were it not for the Local Authority Home Loan, Help-to-Buy scheme, and, more recently, the First Home Scheme.

“Building your own home can be one of the most stressful and exciting things, at the same time.

Self-builders, like other buyers, are susceptible to interest-rate volatility, unavoidable delays, and additional costs. They are as deserving of State supports as any other first-time buyer.

“It was, therefore, really disappointing to see this report from the Department of Public Expenditure, which suggests cutting supports for self-builders,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

The report raises the question of whether there should be any role for the State in providing supports to fund individual household preferences.

It also asks whether stricter parameters are needed to ensure public monies are more targeted at supporting increased supply in areas of highest demand where there are delivery challenges.

“I am calling on the minister for public expenditure and reform to guarantee that supports for those families and individuals who are building their own home are not curtailed,” Mr O’Sullivan said.