Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Cheann Comhairle.

We could stand here and talk about housing, as we are doing every second week. I was a member of the housing committee for five years - the most frustrating five years I ever spent. We can talk and talk and talk. We just have lost the ability to build. I am a member and vice-chairman - I was chairman - of a voluntary housing association. We set about building 14 houses 15 or 20 years ago. We were told it would take forever. We built them in 18 months. Eleven lay-people on the board hired in all the expertise and built them.

I would go back to the Department officials. We met people this evening about the Department with responsibility for forestry. It is a disgrace what is going on here. Public servants in this country and Department officials are not doing their job. There is passing paper and frustrating stuff, there are HR issues and issues of jealousy and begrudgery, and they will not do this for the other. We are back and forward and people have no houses. We can find houses in Tipperary. We can take a homeless hostel out of circulation and give it to international refugees to come in here or migrants who want to get asylum here. We need to cop ourselves on here, cut out the red tape, get down to work and allow builders to work who want to build. We have more regulations and recently our lovely Government put up the price of concrete. Those forestry people told us this evening that the only material used in a house that is grown on the land is trees. We cannot plant trees now. We cannot cut trees. The sawmill people were there. They cannot get the trees. We are tying ourselves up in knots not allowing the voluntary housing people who want to build, and then young people who want to build their own houses in the countryside cannot get planning. It is time we copped on here, cut out the red tape and all the baloney that is going on, and allow the builders build and allow people who to build for themselves. Above all, there must be a major shake-up of the public and civil service in this country, especially in Departments. They have gone stale, they are devoid of ideas and, above all, they are stopping progress. That is a bad situation. We have Secretaries General getting a fortune. They should be held accountable.

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