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

I know that but the problem is although we are talking about housing, we cannot deliver that housing when so much money is being put into an area of rent. It is the biggest issue. The purpose is being defeated. To rent a house in my area the average is now €1,200 because of all the increases. We will not be able to build if we do not set aside money for construction or for use in the likes of approved housing bodies. It is my biggest concern. We are not looking forward to put proper housing in place. Apartments are okay for cities but I always think rural areas are forgotten. I come to the meeting of this housing committee every week and the first figures we see are for apartments in Dublin but we must look after rural Ireland. Apartments are not suitable for rural Ireland so technically what we build is not suitable.

Through public-private partnerships we are looking at building three-bedroom houses all the time. We are looking at a specific type of house rather than other areas, and that is where we are falling down as well. It is not working. Much more power, money and funding is required. We should be encouraging local authorities to buy land and build local authority houses. It is not happening now and our culture is changing. That is not right. More people are coming to me about the housing they have been given through approved housing bodies like Clúid, Respond! and these different agencies. They do not have an option so we are encouraging something that is not right. If there is a culture change, can we come to some agreement with all these different agencies so that people can purchase housing in the long term? We must look at where the funding is going. It is a finance agency and people must be accountable for the money spent. None of this will be sorted out unless we stop paying millions of euro through HAP on rented accommodation. We are paying more for long-term rent than we would in building houses. We cannot win such a battle.