Áine Collins (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. There is no doubt that the whole house building process needs to be kick-started, especially in major urban areas. There is sufficient land zoned, but developers and banks must be convinced that building projects are economically viable. On 10 November this year, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Minister for Finance, Deputies Kelly and Noonan, announced a new raft of measures to obtain this objective. These measures are delicately balanced as getting it wrong would make the situation even worse.

The concept of mixed developments as envisaged under Part V of the Planning and Development Act must continue to be our paramount objective. This is why the balanced approach adopted by the Government must be the way forward. An enhanced supply of starter homes will be encouraged and there will be a targeted rebate of development contributions in Dublin and Cork and new planning guidelines to reduce the price of apartments. Combined, these new actions, along with new rent control measures, should make much needed new housing developments more economically viable.

I acknowledge and welcome the new flexibility that is to be shown in the rent supplement and housing assistant payment, HAP, schemes. Recent reports from housing departments, especially in Cork, which was a pilot area for the HAP scheme, have been very encouraging. It is proving, by far, the fastest way of allocating houses. However, all these incentives do not deal with housing shortages in our rural towns and villages. A new system must be introduced to encourage small builders to purchase and refurbish houses in the centre of these towns and villages. This will solve the dual objective of providing social housing and revitalising communities.

See this speech in context