Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If we all had a crystal ball it would make life an awful lot easier. In the context of population projections, net migration of 20,000 is predicted. In the development of the national planning framework we set a tighter population growth that was contained in the spatial strategy and there was greater headroom capacity in previous county development plans. Migration can swing from an increase of 97,000 to a decrease of 20,000 over just three years, which is a swing of some 125,000. We then have to predict what will happen with Brexit. In a hard Brexit our economy will contract, which would normally mean fewer people come into the country but it might be the opposite in this case and there might be an increase in inward migration. I think there is to be a six-year review of the national planning framework so there may be more information when that comes around.

Ms Neary focused on standards for products and their certification as they come into the country. Do we know what percentage of the products that come from the UK are used in the housing market? They are currently certified under consumer product regulations and get the CE marking as part of the wider European market. Once the UK exits, they will have to be recertified. Will this be done by Ireland or by another European country? What will the implications be? Ms Neary did not mention the effect of tariffs on the cost of materials. What tariffs will apply in the case of a hard Brexit? What will be the effect on the cost of delivering houses?

Another area that was not mentioned was the movement of labour. How will a hard Brexit impact on that and what will the implications be for the housing sector? Ms Neary mentioned homelessness and if we get higher net migration it will certainly add to the pressure on that area. I am aware that there are services to eliminate homelessness.

What additional measures does Ms Neary consider could be put in place to deal with the worst-case scenario in terms of the homeless crisis being escalated as a result of a hard Brexit?