Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will give me an extra ten minutes for scaring me off.

I am not sure Pat Spillane will be very happy that Deputy Ferris has tried to identify him as a Fine Gaeler. The Deputy might want to discuss that with him because I would not have him on our list. It is unfair and wrong to name people in the Chamber and assume what their political persuasions are unless they want to declare them themselves. Pat Spillane's report fed into the Action Plan for Rural Development implemented by the Ministers, Deputies Humphreys and Ring, and others. Even today we saw increased funding announced by the Minister, Deputy Ring, which feeds on from some of the work done in Pat Spillane's report, so it is not sitting on anyone's desk gathering dust.

I thank Deputy Martin Kenny for introducing the Bill. While we cannot agree with everything in it, we all support what it seeks to achieve, and I recognise the genuine attempt in the Bill in this regard, as we all do. I think everyone who spoke tonight is in support of what the Deputy seeks to achieve in the Bill. To be very clear, however, and the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, is very clear on this too, we support one-off rural house construction. Deputy Ó Cuív is wrong on this. He said we have halted such construction in Ireland since 2010, which is not true. A change was brought in in 2010 - I have to laugh because Deputy Ó Cuív was at the Cabinet in 2010 and supported this but seems to have forgotten this - but that does not mean we halted construction in rural Ireland. It has meant it has become difficult in some areas to get planning permission. However, it is not true to say this Government or my Department is against one-off housing. An average of 5,000 or 6,000 one-off houses have been built every year for the past number of years. I am happy to debate the Bill in factual terms, not made-up terms.

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