Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

From 2017 to 2020 Kerry County Council delivered 159 units of housing. These houses are built to an exceptionally high standard by local builders in good locations. From 2021 to 2022 Kerry County Council, under the stewardship of our CEO, Ms Moira Murrell, and the director of housing, Mr. Martin O'Donoghue, plans to deliver a further 278 units. As of November 2020 there were 2,183 households qualified for social housing in Kerry, more than 80% of which are waiting for one-bedroom and two-bedroom style housing units. Over the next two years more than 40% of Kerry County Council's new builds will be one-bedroom and two-bedroom housing. Kerry County Council could do a lot more if given more resources. It could construct further housing. It could buy housing units that might become available from the private sector if they could be bought at a prudent and affordable price, which might actually be a lesser price than it would cost to build new. In other parts of the country, one might hear other politicians from all sides of the House objecting to houses in their constituencies. In Kerry, we need housing and we want it. Our politicians are all of the one voice. Our local authority members and county councillors, from all parties and none, are of the one voice.

They want to take care of the housing needs of the people of Kerry which are immense. In a county the size of Kerry to have 2,183 people awaiting housing is not the fault of our local authority. Whenever the Kerry County Council housing department has been given funding, we spent it expeditiously and got value for money, either through purchasing or new builds.

As I always say, Kerry is better than everywhere else. We have better building contractors than anywhere else. We have extremely efficient local builders and companies that employ local people which in turn generates money for the local and national economy. I ask the Taoiseach to take into account that we must focus. Great strides have been made on three-bedroom houses and other such family units. We now need to concentrate on one-bedroom and two-bedroom accommodation in County Kerry to take care of the great need we have.

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