Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be fairly brief. We mentioned the question of Airbnb at the start of the meeting before the Minister came in. We have agreed to meet a delegation from Airbnb in the near future. However, this was not discussed at the special committee on housing. This is a solution to the crisis and I think it needs to be considered. It is disappointing that we are housing families and homeless people in hotels, yet we are facilitating domestic, foreign and business tourism in homes and houses. Within 1 km of this building tonight there are probably in excess of 200 units available, whether homes or apartments. I am not talking about bed-share, I am talking about apartments and homes. We need to look at the Airbnb phenomenon that has taken off. A number of cities throughout Europe have already banned Airbnb for apartments and homes. We need to look at this because it is an immediate solution to the homeless crisis.

Reference has been made to rapid build. I believe we are doing rapid build technology an injustice. It is being perceived as an inferior home. In fact I believe modern technology and methods of building have to be enhanced and further engaged in. In rural areas we are beginning to use rapid technologies to build houses. I am unsure whether it was red tape or bureaucracy that held this up, but I do not think the physical construction of houses was the cause of the delay.

At the committee last week we heard how rapid build only had a lifespan of 60 years. In fairness, let us consider what is required for a house that was built in the 1960s or 1970s to get the energy efficiency required for an A+ rating not to mention the ongoing efficiencies from a new build. It would probably be cheaper to knock that house and rebuild it rather than try to refurbish it. We are doing an injustice to rapid build technologies. The perception is that it is an inferior home, but it is not. I think we will depend more and more on rapid technologies as we move forward to deal with this crisis. Anything that is manufactured in a controlled environment under scrutiny will probably have a better long-term result than materials from on site.