Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 7:

In page 8, line 6, after “make” to insert “owner-occupier”.

This amendment protects people who need houses and the State. While we are all in favour of making sure that everybody who needs affordable housing has as much of it is possible, there is a clause in this amendment for owner-occupiers. People who have become fairly wealthy may decide to rent out a house to somebody else. We need to include a clause in that regard.

I would like to hear the Minister's thinking on another point.

When people from my area look for social housing, the income threshold is between €5,000 and €10,000 lower than it is in Dublin and some other places. I do not know why we are being discriminated against. Someone living in the west is entitled to the same threshold as anyone else.

I will not hold this up because there are many amendments and I want Deputies to get the chance to discuss them. That is the clause I have proposed. In other amendments, I have referred to ensuring that, when contracts are put out to tender, it is not large conglomerates that get them, but small builders. Houses could be put out to tender in groups of fewer than ten, giving an opportunity to the small builders who are building houses around Ireland and making it so that the big builder does not get everything.

See this speech in context