A new scheme to encourage home building is expected to be announced at Cabinet today.

The Irish Times says the Government will try to cut the price of housing by reducing costs for developers.

Under the plans, a 100 million Euro fund will be set up to give local authorities money to complete local infrastructure, that could be blocking lands from being developed.

That means builders would escape at least some of the costs of building local access roads to their sites.

Today's Cabinet meeting will also discuss our abortion laws, after a recent UN claim that they subject women to 'suffering and discrimination'.