Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

While I am unable to answer all the questions members asked, I will try to address their concerns. The idea is to listen to the various contributions and feed them into the overall plan. The reason I am attending today is that I understand concerns have arisen regarding the roll-out of the national planning framework. This is a 20 year plan which sets out a vision for the country. The draft does not include everything and we recognise that changes will need to be made. While I will be pleased to address any concerns raised, I must also point out when people are factually incorrect.

The document makes clear that 50% of growth will not be in the five major cities in the State. It could not be any clearer on this point. Regardless of whether people like it, cities will also experience growth and rightly so. However, if we do not plan them better, they will not thrive although they will survive. We need the five main cities to thrive and to continue to attract investment and employment and be international players. If Galway does not continue to be an international player in the medical technology sector, the whole region will suffer. It is important, therefore, when drawing up a national plan that we provide for continued investment in the cities. They must become more sustainable and better planned to continue to win investment. We must also give people the option to live in our cities.

Deputy Ó Cuív is correct that Galway is experiencing a significant housing problem. Setting out a vision for the city includes trying to address its housing needs for the next 20 to 25 years. I have never said we will fix the housing problem in one year, nor are we planning for a 25% increase in Galway's population in one year. The 25% population increase will take place over 25 years, and without planning, it will probably still take place in an unco-ordinated and unsustainable manner. Planning requires drawing up a business case to win investment for a region, city, town or village. The purpose of the framework is to plan for this in order that business cases can be made for investment, including by the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform.

We are trying to strike the right balance. The national planning framework makes clear that we are planning for housing in villages, small towns and rural areas. To take Galway as an example, given that it was referred to by previous speakers, one-off houses have accounted for approximately 75% of new houses in Galway since 2011. While I am fully in favour of one-off houses, what will happen if they account for 100% of new houses? This would not be appropriate. The issue is one of striking the right balance. We have agreed to strengthen the wording on the social reasons for living in rural areas. The plan reflects economic needs and we will provide greater clarity by including social needs because, as Deputy Ó Cuív stated, this is also important.

Not everyone can live in a one-off house and not everybody wants to do so. I do not agree that people have an option of living in a village. An issue arises regarding the cost of a site or a house in a village or town. It has not always been easy to live in a village. I know people who would have liked to have lived in a small village but could not afford to buy a site in it. Others were not sure if they could build a one-off house within the boundary of a town or village. They did not want to live an estate but on a site in the village or town. We want to encourage this option and we are doing so in the national planning framework. Living in rural areas does not only involve living in one-off housing, although the plan allows for one-off housing.