Maria Bailey (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to see this action plan published. What this Department has achieved in 76 days is immense. I compliment the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and the Minister of State, Deputy English, their Department and the many Ministers involved in putting this plan together and supporting it financially and through other strands. I pay tribute to the numerous stakeholders for the immense consultation process that took place so that this plan will speak for a wide cohort of people, whether they are people who find themselves homeless, in mortgage distress or arrears, are looking to buy their first property and get on the property ladder, are seeking rent supplement or entering the HAP scheme, which is a very positive scheme that will be rolled out in totality shortly, or are trying to buy their first home but finding it immensely hard to put their deposit together. This plan encompasses all of them. While I accept we can go further in certain areas in future, this action plan gives a solid foundation to start to increase supply and plans to establish this and do far more.

Having come from local government, where I was a councillor for over 12 years, I have a great understanding of the barriers that are in place to develop housing, such as Part 8, and those infrastructural barriers in place for private developers pursuing their planning applications. The elastic timescale is soul-destroying for many people who need a home. I have great sympathy for them. Procedure and process should not hinder the delivery of this plan and I welcome the actions to diminish the timeframes in both public and private delivery. We have had approximately ten to 15 years of lack of financial investment in many Departments but mainly for direct build in local authority housing. This Government is now in a financial position to invest in housing. We need a strong economy to have a fair society and to invest in our housing supply.

To remind Deputies how far we have come in this process, it is not that long ago that the crash hit back in 2007. We found many families in very serious situations. What I bring to this debate is a personal experience of how the mismanagement of this country affected my family. I was one of those families in massive negative equity. Uncertainty hit my overpriced hall door with a very loud bang of unemployment. I had a very young family, one being a newborn, and I experienced the fear of the future and the torpedo of an emotional rollercoaster of financial distress that an overburdened mortgage brings to any family. Thankfully I have come out the other side of that through this Government's initiatives. In order to build more homes, we need to invest in addressing our infrastructural barriers. I am delighted with the €200 million investment from the Minister, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, to secure that which confirms again a cross-departmental urgency and support for this housing plan.

I welcome the robust plan to tackle our housing situation. I wish the Minister and his Department well on the implementation of this plan and do so knowing it is being tackled with a very genuine and sensitive regard to provide people with a place they can call home, not just a house.

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