Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I wish to raise a number of specific issues, the first being the affordable housing scheme. As the Minister of State knows, the affordable housing scheme is aimed at supplying affordable housing through local authorities. It has been successful in some parts of the country where it has been taken up but in other parts, there is not a huge demand for the scheme. The scheme is basically targeted at low to middle income couples and primarily first-time buyers.

There is a specific problem in County Roscommon in regard to low cost or affordable sites. A scheme was promoted to try to give young couples the opportunity to build their own homes on a developed site at a relatively low cost. The difficulty is that while the affordable housing scheme has statutory backing, there is no statutory basis for the affordable site scheme. There is a new housing estate in Roscommon town which is half built. Some young couples were fortunate enough to get in early and have their houses completed but others who had some capital available built their houses to roof level where they remain. Other young couples who purchased, or who are in the process of purchasing, the site from the local authority cannot get started. The local authority made a condition that they must have provisional approval from a bank or building society to get the site but the banks will not allow the couples to draw down the mortgages. While the provision of affordable sites in towns such as Castlerea, Ballaghaderreen, Boyle and Roscommon town——

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