Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Like the other Deputies, I welcome the proposal, but I think that as a nation we need to look at the entire housing scenario. First of all, we have a dysfunctional banking system. So many people have come to me who might have a certain amount for a deposit but have gone to two or three banks and have been refused. One then looks at local credit unions. They were not the ones who took down this country. It was the dysfunctional banks that were bailed out. The credit unions today have to turn around and give 0.1% in places to lodge their money. Instead of looking at the EBS or whoever it is looking at with regard to new methods of lending money, the Government needs to look at the credit unions and give them the choice of having a wider banking system. Many credit unions have a lot of money in storage and it is costing them money to keep it there.

We have talked about social housing. There are 130 houses in one council area I know of that have been lying idle for the past three years. In city council areas and right around the country, there may be 4,000 to 5,000 houses lying idle that have not been let out to people. We should bear in mind that the Department of Social Protection is giving approximately €100 per week to people who are renting alternative accommodation, and this is paying for private housing. The Government needs to design a new housing strategy that will allow the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to do up these houses to the required standard for people to live in them. I have estimated that it would save the State approximately €30 million.

There are large tracts of land around the country that are owned by NAMA. A decision must be made to release this land, because the low- to middle-income people who are trying to put together the 20% deposit the banks are looking for need to have houses that are affordable when they are looking for a mortgage. These decisions need to be made rapidly. There are children from the country who are going to college in Dublin. A room in a house in Dublin can cost up to €600 per month. That is one room in a house. Families cannot afford that. We need to make sure we have a proper housing strategy.

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