Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

acknowledges the achievements of the Government in,

—increasing housing supply as the key response to the broad range of housing needs and demands;

—ensuring that over 500,000 houses, equivalent to one third of Ireland's total housing stock, have been completed in the past ten years;

—facilitating the tenth successive year of record housing completions through the addition of 77,000 new houses in 2004 and establishing Ireland in the lead position within the EU in the provision of new houses;

—strengthening and extending social and affordable housing programmes, for which €2 billion is available in 2005;

—bringing forward five-year housing action plans by local authorities for the period 2004 to 2008 to co-ordinate, accelerate and bring greater integration to action on housing at local level, with particular reference to social and affordable housing measures;

—prioritising and advancing the special initiative on housing and accommodation under Sustaining Progress which will deliver more than 10,000 affordable houses through the affordable housing initiative and Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2004; — ensuring through the housing forum an effective engagement with the social partners;

—enhancing tax allowances to assist first-time buyers;

—improving the operation of the private rented sector through the introduction of new legislation and the establishment of the Private Rented Tenancies Board;

—introducing the rental accommodation scheme to provide improved and more secure arrangements for SWA rent supplement recipients with long-term housing needs;

—developing and implementing an integrated strategy on homelessness, effective programmes for Traveller accommodation and an expanded role for the voluntary and co-operative housing sector; and

supports the Government in its further actions, which will be informed by the recent comprehensive NESC analysis of housing, to ensure continued good housing supply, increase the quality and affordability of housing and respond to the needs of low income households and those with special needs through a broad range of targeted initiatives.

Housing is a vital social infrastructure, sustaining family and community life. Access to good housing is essential to support our mobile, dynamic and growing economy. Housing is of huge economic significance in Ireland today — last year it accounted for 13% of GNP and employed at least 120,000 people.

The importance of housing in Ireland is not set to diminish. Our population is forecast to grow by a further 500,000 over the next ten years and possibly to 5 million by 2020. Suitable housing options and solutions must be provided for a population which is growing rapidly both through natural increase and migration and in which the household forming age group is also increasing. We must improve the affordability and quality of housing, regenerate run-down urban areas, break cycles of disadvantage, assist with disability requirements and address the special needs of Travellers and the homeless.

For these important reasons, housing has been high on the agenda of the Government parties since taking office in 1997. At that time, annual housing output was running at just 38,000 units and new house price inflation stood at 17%. It was clear that housing supply needed to be greatly accelerated and an increase in supply has been the key element of Government policy since. The national development plan set a target that 500,000 new houses should be provided nationally over the ten year period 2000-09. Over the first five years of that plan, to end 2004, 306,000 new houses, 61% of the target, have been delivered. Almost one third of the Irish housing stock has been provided in the past ten years. We are building at a much higher rate than our EU partners, with over 19 houses per 1,000 people, five times the British rate.

Does this achievement deserve credit and recognition? Outside observers consider that it does. Ireland's performance demonstrates that we have an adaptable and dynamic construction industry that has hugely increased its output. In the early 1990s, fewer than 22,000 houses were being built each year. Now 77,000 are being built annually. People abroad see Ireland as dynamic in terms of house building and the Government has put enormous resources into this area.

Fine Gael, however, cannot see success in any of this, it can only see the negative. Would Fine Gael prefer if Ireland was at the bottom of the housing league in the EU? Does successful achievement of housing targets embarrass the party? We are prepared to act in an inclusive way if Fine Gael wants to be part of this because when it was last in power, the supply of housing was increasing a little from the low figures of the early 1990s.

The motion suggests, as if it was something new, that we should convene a special meeting of the social partners. I do not know where the Deputy is getting that from because the Government has no problem in engaging fully with the social partners on housing issues. We have been doing it for years. Housing is one of the special initiatives under Sustaining Progress. Has the Deputy not heard of that? Does he not know we have the housing forum, which I chair and which meets on a regular basis? That is a dedicated mechanism for engaging with the social partners on the initiative and on all aspects of housing. It gives the social partners the opportunity to make an input at policy level. I am satisfied these arrangements give us effective engagement with the social partners and allow for good and meaningful input by them to the development of policy.

Action on housing has been developed by the Government in recent years against a background of unprecedented demand arising from our substantial economic progress and demographic and societal changes. The last census returns indicate that our population increased by 8% in a six-year period from 1996 to 2002. That is an extraordinary increase in the population of the whole country, not just the Dublin region. It is even more significant when one considers the 18% increase in those six years in the numbers of what we regard as the key household formation group, those aged between 25 and 34. That is an incredible figure.

The motion refers to the fact that more people over the age of 30 are now living at home with their parents than was the case previously. That is true but 20 years ago they were not living with their parents.

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