Update: 11am

The construction industry has welcomed plans for a €100m fund to provide infrastructure for development sites.

The plan is being brought to cabinet this morning by the housing minister Simon Coveney and public expenditure minister Paschal Donohoe.

It would see local authorities given extra money to pay for roads and other infrastructure, to service sites which could then be used for housing.

Tom Parlon of the Construction Industry Federation has said it is a necessary step: “Currently you will not get funding for a site, from the banks or any other lender if there is an infrastructure deficit.

“They will say this is too risky and so on, it may not be spent but I think if there is a commitment now that there is a site say 20 acre site that needs a €10m investment for infrastructure and has capacity for 300 houses.

“That all of this can be done in tandem and speed up this whole operation.”

Earlier

A scheme to make home building cheaper is likely to be given the go ahead at cabinet this morning.

The Irish Times reports the scheme is aimed at cutting costs for developers.

A recent report revealed that actual construction makes up less than half the cost of building a house.

Charges and providing services make up a large bulk of the cost of building homes.

This new fund would alleviate that somewhat by giving local councils money to build infrastructure such as access roads for privately owned land marked for development.

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe will bring a memo to cabinet proposing the 100 million euro fund.

This would mean less cost for builders which may spur more construction.

Today’s Cabinet meeting will also discuss our abortion laws, after a recent UN claim that they subject women to ‘suffering and discrimina