Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would add to that by asking what business do we have inviting people here or taking them at will when we cannot house our own people? A total of 1,000 people or more are coming into the country every week. I am calling for a cap on that and for us to look after our own first.

We are doing very little or not enough for people on the housing list. If they do get a council house or one from a housing body, they cannot purchase it any more. Everyone wants to buy out their home and they did so in the 1950s and 1960s. They all finished up buying out their houses and the money went back into the coffers.

Nothing is being done for people in Kerry who want to build their own houses. First of all, they cannot get planning permission. A farmer's son or daughter can get planning permission, which I welcome, but nobody else can. The only place you can get planning permission for a site is in a town such as Killarney but you would pay €250,000 or €300,000 if you can get the site. The grandest man in the world contacted me in the past few days. He is bringing home nearly €900 per week. He went to Bank of Ireland for a loan but all it would give him was €90,000. It would take 35 years to pay it back and he would have paid €190,000 at that stage. How is that fair?

The Government is only giving grants of €11,000 to local authorities for vacant houses when they cost €70,000 to do up. With another scheme, the Government will give €800 per property to house Ukrainians but it will not provide that to house local people. How is that fair?

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