Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that the Minister of State is taking it seriously, but we are reliant on the market. He accepts that not a single house has been constructed. As a result, we are utterly reliant on the market. When the Simon Community carried out its snapshot study, Locked Out of the Market X, in March, it indicated that there were very few properties available for rent in Galway. In fact, the study identified 15 such properties. That is all that was available in the three days of the study. In the month overall, there were 28 properties. In addition, the Government is totally reliant on housing assistance payment, the residential accommodation scheme and the long-term leasing. None of those schemes come next or near prices in Galway, all of which was set out in the Simon report. Even with the discretionary payment of 20%, people cannot get a home to rent in Galway. Besides the fact that we have created the problem, the Government is making it worse by not building. What is wrong with Galway City Council or with the Department? Where does the problem lie? Galway City Council bought a lot of land at huge prices when I was a member. It has been zoned for residential use and it is not being used. I understand that two thirds of the residential land has been set aside because of a proposed road which, if it goes ahead, will not be built until the mid 2020s. Two thirds of the residential land has been sterilised. Can the Minister of State tell me I am wrong about that?

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