Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Some people would tell you they would do away with the first home scheme and the help-to-buy scheme. With those in place, we are at full capacity. Without them, if we are not at full capacity, we are losing ground and many would say we are not making enough ground in housing.

People talked about this not being a housing budget. The biggest obstacle to housing targets being met, or being increased and being in a position to be met, notwithstanding what Dr. Doorley said about capacity and the constraint in relation to employment, is non-financial. It relates to planning and the logjams that exist with planning at present. Various projects could be up and running if planning was not the obstacle that it is. There is a planning and development (amendment) Bill in the offing which we hope would address that but this measure is non-financial. I would make that point. I do not know whether Dr. Doorley wants to comment on that. It is something her colleagues said to us in previous meetings.