[Article] Deadline for house grants extended until next year

Victor

The builders must be getting desparate.

Deadline for house grants extended until next year
From:The Irish Independent
Wednesday, 29th October, 2003
Gene McKenna Political Editor

AN EXTENSION of the deadline for existing new house grant applications to April 2 next has been announced by Environment Minister Martin Cullen.

The grant for first-time owner-occupiers of new houses was controversially abolished from November 14 last year.

But a year's grace was given to those who had already applied before the abolition date to complete all their paperwork and move into their home.

This meant that the date for existing applicants to complete and occupy their new house and return a request for payment of the grant had been set as November 13 next.

But Mr Cullen said yesterday that, having given the matter "very serious consideration", he had decided that the fairest approach was to extend the deadline to April.

"When genuine problems were brought to my attention, I indicated that common sense would apply," said the minister.

"I have been anxious to address genuine cases of difficulty among existing applicants who, through no fault of their own, are not able to occupy their houses by November 13," said Mr Cullen.

But Mr Cullen strongly urged that this extension should not detract from the efforts of the builders to complete the houses, so that first-time buyers could move into their new homes as quickly as possible.

He emphasised that the extension applies only to those who submitted valid applications before the deadline of December 4 last.