Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I fully support this Affordable Housing Bill. It is urgently needed and we must get it through the Houses as quickly as possible. Over the years, I have had numerous representations from people who do not qualify to go on the housing list and cannot get a mortgage. The people I am dealing with now are what I would describe as the new working poor. I was working with a couple last week, one of the many couples with whom I am working. They both have good jobs and so do not qualify to go on the housing list. They are paying their rent, paying for childcare and trying to save for a mortgage but they qualify for nothing. It is so difficult now. People are working so hard but they do not qualify to go on the housing list or to get a mortgage. This legislation must be passed as soon as possible.

The other issue being raised with me is that of adult children still living at home with their parents. They all have jobs but cannot get a house. They do not qualify to go on the housing list and they do not qualify for a mortgage. There is such a gap here and if we do not get this sorted now, a lot of people will never have a home to call their own. They will be renting for the rest of their lives or staying at home with their families. This has become a huge issue for all of us. The income cap for Carlow County Council's housing list is only €27,500 which is unacceptable. It means that very many people do not qualify to go on the housing list and that is very unfair.

We need to get this Affordable Housing Bill through quickly. We also need to make sure that we build houses. The biggest issue is the lack of housing supply and that is an issue that everyone in this House has been addressing. It is important to see affordable houses being built in one's own area because it leads to job creation and apprenticeships. We need to get people back into apprenticeships and this Bill can do it. We need to get it right and I totally agree with Deputy Ó Cuív in that regard. We have to get the houses built, stay local and make sure places like Carlow and Kilkenny are not forgotten. I know from talking to people that many are very disheartened. Everyone deserves a home and everyone has a right to a home. This is an area that Fianna Fáil and the Government can deliver on for the country and we have to do it. We have got to get this right. I hope this Bill will go through as soon as possible.

I was speaking to the director of housing in Carlow County Council recently and was delighted to hear that the council is availing of the incremental purchase scheme. That scheme will offer many families the possibility of owning their own homes. People on the housing list want the chance to own their own home. They work hard and they deserve that chance and we need to give it to them. I am delighted that Carlow County Council is working to that end.

The local authorities must move quickly on this once this legislation is passed. We need to embark on an information campaign because there is a lot of misunderstanding about what can happen when the Bill is passed. The main point is that we cannot have barriers or red tape. We cannot have people coming back to us to say they do not qualify or cannot get an affordable house. We must make sure that the people who cannot go on the housing list and cannot get a mortgage will qualify for affordable housing.

I have been speaking to a lot of people my own age recently who have grown-up children, many of whom are still living with them. While that may be welcome for some, if we do not give people the opportunity to have their own home, we are doing them a disservice. We have a duty of care. We must look after people and make sure they can have their own home. It is not their fault that they do not have one.

I strongly support and promote this Bill and urge all Members in the House to support it. We must get this legislation through as soon as possible and make sure that everybody has the right to a house.

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