Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I work with colleagues in this Chamber in a non-political manner to find practical and robust solutions to our housing crisis, which is still a national crisis affecting so many people. The essential solution is so easy as to be frustrating to so many people. We need a massive increase in the supply of houses, particularly publicly-owned housing, and affordable houses for sale. Increasing the supply of housing means that we must increase the number of new housing units constructed.

The construction industry in Ireland is engaged in its entirety in the private sector. This fact is not ideological. It is not neoliberal or capitalist; it is just the truth. Quantity surveyors, plant machinery operators, bricklayers, carpenters, electricians and plumbers are engaged with private sector employers, or are self-employed, to build the houses the people need.

I come from a business background but I am a practical politician who believes that the State must control and, crucially, manage housing supply in Ireland. I believe that housing is a right that every citizen should expect the State to supply it as part of the social contract between Government and the citizen. It is my strong conviction that the State must control and supply housing for rent and affordable sale to citizens.

The purpose of this Bill is to provide credible alternative solutions. Fianna Fáil, in a principled and pragmatic effort to secure housing units for public use, introduced the Part V process. This process was controversial at the time, with many elements of the construction industry opposed to it. Originally, the Part V process allowed for up to 20% of new housing units to be provided as public housing. Despite its success, it needed to be reviewed and amended. However, Fine Gael made the mistake of reducing the Part V requirement to 10% from 20%, a 50% reduction, thereby contributing to the worsening of housing supply. Its commitment to ideology resulted in shrinking the public stock of housing coming on stream when houses were most needed. Fine Gael's inability to take the necessary steps to ensure that every family and person in this country could have a home is another failure of public policy.

This Bill provides that Part V be increased to 25%, with a maximum of 35% on SDZ lands. The question is: "What is the sustainable level for the industry?" The Part V process is an integral part of the solution to our housing crisis but it currently provides the incorrect percentage and significantly more can be achieved through it.

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