Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Brennan raised the issue of one-off housing. We have spoken a lot today about affordability but the architects of the Bill would seem to place an unjust burden and would certainly make one-off houses that bit more unaffordable, given the extreme cost that is added as a result of the Bill, which is in the range of €8,000 to €10,000. Has the Department looked at this issue? Has the Department or the Minister any intention of introducing a Bill that will remove this clause, which would be very important, particularly to people living in rural Ireland? Deputy Coppinger said earlier that prices in Dublin had rocketed. That may be so but they certainly have not rocketed in rural Ireland, where there are also housing problems, as it is important to point out to the Department officials and which should never be forgotten.

We speak a lot about social and affordable housing. The Department should have a policy designed to take away the stigma from such housing. We are trying to get a uniformity of housing across the country. While we currently describe it as social and affordable housing, is there not better terminology or could we not blend it in better with local buildings and local developments by private builders that would remove that aspect from it? I see a number of sites are already identified for housing as a result of the housing crisis. Many of the people in those areas fell victim to the Celtic tiger and people who built homes at an enormous cost during the Celtic tiger era are now in negative equity, with some in substantial negative equity. Now, local authorities are proposing to build houses and it is causing serious problems for some people, particularly as many of these will be on already established sites. Could the Department come up with a better terminology, given it sounds alarm bells the minute social and affordable housing is mentioned?

Planning is very much open to the interpretation of an individual planner. There was always a huge problem where one planner would not have red brick or any brick on a house, while another would want all brick on a house. There are huge inconsistencies in the interpretation of the planning rules and guidelines. Is this problem being addressed and can the Department bring some uniformity to this area?

Is it not true to say the planning system has failed town centres? This has been added to by the imposition of parking charges in that people are afraid of their lives to park in the centre of a town because adequate parking has not been provided over the years. It is now much easier for people to go outside a town to the shopping centres where an abundance of parking is provided. Does the Department accept the planning system has failed the development of town centres?