The Government's housing policy has become increasingly skewed towards large developers while ordinary families who are trying to build a home are left carrying the cost. People who want to build a modest home beside their parents or on a family field are being hit with a wall of costs before a single block is laid. Connection charges can run into the thousands. A standard water connection from Uisce Éireann costs €2,000. Wastewater charges are up to €4,000, or more. ESB connections are a huge cost, if you can get a connection. The most recent development contribution fees I have seen have been between €9,000 and €10,000. That is before a block is even laid. Last year, the Government pointed to the massive increase in commencement notices as an indication that there would be a significant increase in supply. In 2024, commencement notices surged to more than 69,000 but this spike was an artificial inflation. Ordinary home builders were essentially overlooked while the Government introduced a reduced 9% VAT rate for apartment construction. Nothing comparable was introduced for young families who are trying to build a home on their own land. Now the Department of Finance has acknowledged that these measures have reduced the accuracy of statistics and artificially inflated the numbers. In other words, the dramatic headlines will not reflect the number of homes that will actually be delivered. Waivers and tax reliefs should help the young couples who are trying to build their first homes, rather than large investment funds or institutional developers. Has the Government looked at reducing VAT on construction materials? We have estimated that this could reduce the cost of building a home by up to €50,000. Young people, particularly in rural areas, need more supports. We should be removing barriers to families who are trying to build their own homes. We should be looking at providing serviced sites on the periphery of towns, where possible.