Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am in the Dáil since 2016 and, since then, I do not know how many times we have spoken about housing. I often think that if a couple of dozen houses were built every time we spoke about housing, there would not be a housing crisis in the country but, sadly, there has been a lot of talk with nothing happening afterwards.

This motion is about Raise the Roof. I would like to talk about putting in foundations before we even get to the roof and that is a sad situation in which we find ourselves. Many young people who are trying to start off in life do not want a social house. They only want to borrow a bit of money so they can build a home for themselves and their family. However, every obstacle has been put in there way and every county development plan that comes along puts another obstacle in front of them. It is sad to think that many young people end up on the social housing waiting list, a list which the Government has promised to shorten, for as long as I have been a Deputy, but it has gotten longer. We have a massive crisis in building houses, with young people trying to get planning permission for their homes.

I also mention sites that are in towns and villages throughout the country. I always believed in having a proper rural regeneration programme but the Government would not even consider providing an incentive to people, who are struggling to get homes in the cities, to move to rural Ireland. They are good people who deserve a home. Sadly, that was always refused. There is not a great incentive at present. There are great communities in west Cork, including Ballinspittle, Ballinadee, Ballydehob, Schull, Ardgroom, Eyeries and Drimoleague, fine places that have great community centres, schools and sports clubs that could easily cater for all the people. Unfortunately, there is no great incentive to move people into the communities that are badly in need of new life.

We have a crisis in Clonakilty, west Cork, where no building can take place because there is a lack of water. It is a scandalous situation for one of the biggest towns in west Cork to find itself in. We need to raise HAP funding as well as the wage limits for social housing because many people do not qualify.

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