Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will keep it very short. I thank the Chair. I think everything has been said. I want to thank our guests for their reports. There is uncertainty. We are really no further on than we were this time last year. I think we are nearly looking at a backstop. We are getting very good reports. The uncertainty is caused by the lack of evidence of what will happen in the long term. People are really concerned. These reports refer to local authority housing, but we know that such housing is not being built at a national level. The Minister comes in every few weeks to tell us that there is plenty of money for housing. Ultimately, there is so much confusion. All the reports we are receiving are welcome. We have spoken about farmers and exports in the context of Brexit, but we must also speak about businesses and housing. People are living longer. As we build houses, we are not able to cater for what had before Brexit. Please God Brexit will not happen. We cannot even handle what we have, let alone what we hope will not happen. That is my concern.

I attended a public meeting last night. Many elderly people who spoke at the meeting feel their needs are not being met through local authorities because not enough houses are being built. No two-bedroom houses are being built. No houses are being built for people with disabilities. We have to look at insulation. All of these issues, which are of concern now, are affected by the uncertainty of Brexit. What are the answers? We can do as many reports as we want. They are all welcome. Are there any reports that tell us what the answers will be if Brexit happens? All of the uncertainty is causing people to ask where we will go if Brexit happens. What plan of action do we have in place? It has been suggested that Brexit could have a good effect on mortgages because interest rates could drop. That is welcome, in a sense.

However, the approach is based on the situation in cities and rural Ireland is being completely forgotten. The approach is always based on Dublin. Although I acknowledge that homelessness is a far bigger issue in Dublin and other cities than in rural Ireland, the other areas of the country must be considered. All of the reports are based on cities such as Dublin, but rural Ireland is forgotten. We must eliminate the uncertainty of people across the country by ensuring that consideration is had for all areas, rather than only looking at cities.

Dr. Healy stated that Brexit could have a big impact on cities. What will its impact be on rural Ireland? The witnesses have put forward very interesting figures. What will the repercussions be for rural Ireland and its people? I ask for clarity on measures that may be of assistance to the people of Ireland post Brexit.