Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is the point I wished to make. I would hope that a proper five-year plan could be published in the near future, outlining the sort of proposals that will bring about confidence. In that way, people can invest in housing outside areas that are becoming so expensive. This is probably one of the most serious issues out my way as Deputy Boyd Barrett would confirm. A deposit for a young couple wishing to buy a home can range from €60,000 to €100,000. It is just out of control. We may talk about other priorities, but there is no greater priority than giving young people an opportunity to buy their own home. I concur with Deputy Boyd Barrett's point about bringing local authorities back into action. That was the biggest mistake we ever made.

I am a product of a local authority house and a mad sales scheme. When my parents died, I was the sole survivor because my sister predeceased me. I sold my house to a girl living in the same villas, but I could have got vast sums of money for it. We are selling off local authority houses and, by all means, tenants should be given an opportunity to buy the houses. It is a good idea but if they wish to sell, or the tenant passes on and it is left to children who have their own houses, they should be obliged to sell it back to the local authority at an upgraded value. It is the simplest thing in the world. We are building houses and then losing them to the private sector. It is a daft system but it can be rectified. We need to start examining that sort of thinking.

It is a good thing for local authorities to help people who are not in a position to help themselves. Local authorities should not be taken out of the housing situation, but it is wrong to sell off such housing stock to the private sector. With a bit of proper thinking, that situation could be rectified. I would like to see people being able to buy their local authority houses, which is a good thing. However, if they want to sell them on, they should have to offer them to the local authority for an updated value.

We had a situation in the past when we built hundreds of houses. I was on Dublin County Council from 1974 and we were building thousands of council houses in Dublin, but they have all gone into the private sector. This sort of thing is unsustainable. I know we are currently dealing with the budget, but after the budget this committee should delve into these sort of areas. We should talk to Ministers and listen to suggestions. Public transport is vital if one wishes to get away from the rat race with everybody trying to buy in the same area. It is not a big deal if one has to travel 15 or 20 minutes extra when one has a proper home.