Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In the couple of minutes I have, I will point out a couple of areas where the law of unintended consequences has come to bear and maybe the Government can have a look at it.

The first is in the area of housing bodies. They have become too top heavy, too administratively onerous. It is causing increased costs and it means that the small and medium-sized builders are avoiding dealing with the housing agencies and the housing bodies. That is leaving the Government paying through the nose for houses.

Second, we have schemes now which require 12-year warranties on building. Maybe that is a good thing but it means an incredible amount of legal fees being incurred from three different parties - the finance party, the housing agency and the construction sector. In terms of this, something needs to be looked at.

Planning, particularly in urban areas, is becoming problematic, as the Minister of State, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell, probably knows well, and it is largely to do with climate action. Planners are now taking the view they do not want to build in rural areas at the moment. That is right across the country. That does not take account of the new way people are working. People are working from home a few days a week. I ask the Minister of State to have a look at that.

Access to finance is a problem, both for homeowners and home buyers, but it also a major problem for home builders who are only able to access mezzanine finance. The pillar banks are closed to them and one is talking about interest rates of 12% to 15% per annum. That is largely unsustainable for most businesses.

If I could reflect what Deputy Tóibín said, local authority voids are the most easily targeted available housing in the country. How are they taking so long - anywhere from three to nine months - to turn around? Surely we can do far better than that in every local authority in the country.

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