Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)

I have listened to Fianna Fáil Deputies in this debate. They say one thing in the House but they speak from the other side of their mouths outside it. They say one thing in this House when no one in their locality is taking notice. Fianna Fáil has destroyed the housing market for the first-time buyer. Young people cannot get a loan of €450,000 to buy a house. They must come to Gorey and Enniscorthy and commute on a daily basis to Dublin, which causes major traffic problems in the area. That is how the Government has solved the problem. It has moved these people out of Dublin and let them commute, which destroys the family life they already have. That is not the answer to every crisis.

The number of Dublin people who have moved into Gorey, Enniscorthy and Wexford in recent years is colossal. They are lovely people to deal with. They want to stay in Dublin but cannot afford a house there. The Deputy may claim that these are people who are retiring, but that is not the case. People come into my office daily looking for planning permission. In fairness, Wexford County Council has changed some of the planning guidelines and by-laws to help the people who want to buy their own houses. This puts pressure on other amenities such as schools. Gorey is one of the fastest growing towns in the country.

In Enniscorthy, we are waiting on the completion of part of the main drainage scheme. We have been waiting for this for years. Nothing has happened in Enniscorthy since Fine Gael went out of Government in 1997. We will have to wait until Fine Gael gets back into Government to ensure that something else happens in Enniscorthy, because the town had a boom when Fine Gael and Labour were in Government. It will have another boom after the next general election because we will be on the Government side of the House.

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