Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A number of issues arise. This is one of the simplest amendments because it does what it says on the tin. It sets out obligations which need to be taken into account. In regard to Gaeltacht housing, we know there is a failure. There are huge waiting lists and organisations are picketing Leinster House. Even though the Government has four Acts available to it to try to address the issue of housing in the Gaeltacht, there is no specific scheme in place at the moment, as far as I know. The Housing (Gaeltacht) (Amendment) Act 2001 allows for such a scheme. It allows grants to build houses in the Gaeltacht to be made available to a person who is not an occupier of a dwelling house or who has shown to the satisfaction of the Minister that the Irish language is the language habitually used by him or her. It also allows for the roof to be fixed, but that is a separate issue. This is proof that the State has recognised that there is an issue. The problem is the passage of law has not been followed up by a proper approach. The law in place has not addressed the issues, to such a degree that the State agency, Údarás na Gaeltachta, whose main function in the past was specifically to deliver employment in the Gaeltacht regions, now has a function in language planning. In fairness, it has extended its remit, by virtue of the fact that it was not precluded from doing so, to consider whether the land bank it had was usable for housing estates. It was mentioned that three sites were identified as a pilot project. Údarás na Gaeltachta is being encouraged by virtually everybody to go down that road. That is not its area of expertise, or it has not been, but maybe it will be in the future.

The question we asked yesterday was whether Údarás na Gaeltachta could be an AHB. The Minister said it could be. It is a question of whether it wants to be an AHB, whether some other body is the AHB or whether it could work in partnership with the local authority. The local authority should have been doing this work, approaching Údarás na Gaeltachta because it had a land bank or building up a land bank.

As mentioned, there is a problem with infrastructure in these areas. Uisce Éireann, community representatives and politicians from the area or who visit the area have said there is a dire need. Some private developments and council developments are held up because Uisce Éireann does not have as its priority a sewage or wastewater system for ten houses. Ten houses in a Gaeltacht area could be the difference between keeping the local school open or not. The issue is not just with Gaeltacht areas. It affects other rural areas but the difference with Gaeltacht areas - and the exceptional case that needs to be made in those areas - is that if they do not get the housing, the school closes. If the school closes, other families move out because they cannot drive to the nearest school. In the case of Connemara, people usually move into or towards Galway city. You will find that. I went to school in Dún Chaoin. I was one of those kids who were transported from Dublin to Dún Chaoin to try to ensure the numbers in the school were maintained. I have, therefore, an understanding of just how precarious school numbers are and it is a long time since I was in primary school. Other families did the same in that school. There were three different families. The children of the EU Commissioner, Dick Burke, were in the school at the time, as were the Mac Conghail children, including Fiach. It was kept open by virtue of that but we should not have to rely on that type of activity.

Last year, a notice was placed in a newspaper asking people to please come with their kids to keep a school open and telling them they would be given a house rent-free. There is a strategy. This is outlining what is required in terms of that strategy, the number of houses that are needed and the space that is available. It is not up to Údarás na Gaeltacht to do a full survey of the Gaeltacht area. It is up to the local authorities but they have not done it. That is why, this is the central amendment of all the amendments relating to Gaeltacht areas. If this is done, it will guarantee the lifeblood of these areas and ensure sustainability for the jobs being created. Jobs are now being created in the Gaeltacht areas but they are not for locals, because locals no longer live there. They live in Galway and travel into Connemara. So much for sustainability. I do not think the Green Party will be too happy we are doing that when sites are available.

I say yes to affordable, social and private housing. One of the points addresses an earlier point about family members having holiday homes. This should allow for the targeting of holiday homes for reallocation, but that is not necessarily about taking them away from people. If houses are sitting vacant for 11 months and two weeks of the year - some of them are only occupied for two weeks - somebody needs to be able to approach the owner and say the house is derelict because it is not in use and therefore has no function. I am not referring to houses where somebody is coming home and it is not that they would be taken over.

Dublin City Council competes against the public in buying houses to address its social housing need. That causes tension sometimes. The council should perhaps be instructed to look at using holiday homes that are coming up for sale and getting big money to address housing need. We need to ensure we have that discrimination to make sure that Irish language speakers have a separate list, so that if a social housing unit comes up in a Gaeltacht area, it is allocated to those who are proficient in the Irish language.

I believe there is EU protection for cultural heritage. If that is not provided, we should make sure to create it because an exceptional case can be made in this instance, on the basis of sustainability. It is not just sustainable for a county council to buy a holiday homes in rural Connemara or Corca Dhuibhne to house an English language speaker. That would defeat the whole idea of the council purchasing that home. It is for the benefit of the community, not just to address a housing need. There is a housing need in Gaeltacht areas. There are enough people on the housing list in the Gaeltacht regions to fill the houses the councils are going to buy or build for many years to come. I urge the Minister to see whether we can ensure that this is put in as a full obligation with all of the provisions that have been outlined. That would deal with the issue and we could probably then dispose of many of the other amendments. I would be happy to withdraw all my other amendments if the Minister accepted this one.