Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill, which I support. Housing is one of the biggest issues for every family. It is the big lifetime issue which people face and it is the one major decision they will make. Affordability is now the big issue, although it probably always was, but perhaps in a different context.

At one time when one applied to get on a county council waiting list, one got on the list and got a county council house. One's big ambition then was to buy a site and build a house, which one could do. As one was in a county council house, one could get a county council loan.

One could borrow one and a half times one's salary and could certainly buy a house on one salary. The situation moved on and one could borrow twice one's salary but the one caveat was that one needed 10% of the deposit. If one had a friendly bank manager, he or she might have helped one over that hurdle and offer one a 15, 20 or 25 year mortgage. At the time it seemed like a long time and the naysayers said people would never get out of debt.

In the 1980s, two people with jobs could borrow and build a house but now the situation has moved on. That was achievable once but is less achievable now for two ordinary income earners. People's dream once was to build a house, buy a car etc., but that has changed.

I would like to think social housing would cure all our needs. There is no doubt it will help. However, it will be a lottery and will create a type of new poverty housing trap. The issue is whether people should earn less to stay under the income limit. Prices are driven by the speculators, which is a big issue. The fact that banks and lending institutions are offering 100%, lifetime and intergenerational mortgages is also a big issue. Recently I heard that a bank is offering mortgages and €2,000 cash. There is no cap on it.

A number of county council housing schemes are 30 to 40 years old. Money should be pumped into those schemes, many of which need a face-lift. I would like the Government to provide money for such schemes.

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