Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will make a proposal to the Minister of State that I made to the Minister regarding a solution - not the solution - to the housing situation in Dublin and other high-pressure areas. There is a surplus of housing in rural Ireland. There are many vacant properties in provincial towns and villages. We should be able to marry the pressure for housing in Dublin with the availability of housing in rural Ireland. I propose the establishment of a scheme under which people would be offered the opportunity to relocate voluntarily, have a different lifestyle and have an opportunity to get a house and bring up a family in a different environment. This voluntary scheme would give people the opportunity to move from high-pressure areas to low-pressure ones. It would not be an economic charge upon the State because the rent for housing in rural areas is substantially less than the rent for housing in urban areas. This scheme would also benefit rural communities that have an excess of housing and a problem with depopulation. New families coming to rural towns and villages would help to maintain the fabric of rural society, services, shops and schools. It would be a win-win situation for a small minority of families who could be taken out of emergency accommodation - bed and breakfast establishments and hotels - after having spent time on endless housing lists or on the HAP scheme even though they cannot find housing that takes HAP. I would like the Minister of State to consider this scheme. The Minister will be doing so.

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