Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In the context of infrastructural development, I draw the attention of the Taoiseach to the €200 million local infrastructure fund which was introduced when the Labour Party was in government. The amount sought is up to four times higher than the funding available. Housing is urgently needed in the Dublin area, in particular, as well as in other parts of the country, as the Taoiseach knows. He is in agreement that more houses need to be built for young people to buy, as social housing for renting and specific groups such as older people. There is a strategic development zone in Dublin West, Hansfield, for which there has been full planning permission for ten years to build an additional 3,000 houses on a very nice site which is very attractive and which will be well supported by purchasers and renters. It will not be possible, however, to develop the site unless Fingal County Council can access funding to develop roads into it. More than 12,000 houses have been built in the past 12 to 15 years in Hansfield, Littlepace and Onger and an additional 3,000 houses could be built, but the necessary funding is lacking. There was planning permission for the entire period of recession, but it will not be possible for the council to get private builders on site unless roads are built. Will the Taoiseach and the Government ensure additional loans will be taken out with the European Investment Bank, for example, or that other sources of funding will be made available? I note that the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, attended a meeting of Finance Ministers yesterday. He finally suggested the European Union should allow more budget flexibility to allow for more development in countries such as Ireland. Unless many more houses are built than the current targets allow for, we will face meltdown. In the same area to which I referred many people face rent increases of up to 40% once the two-year moratorium on rent increases introduced by the former Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, comes to an end. The Government is drifting towards a point where this will cause enormous difficulties.

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