Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for that answer. In order for a strategy to work, and we can leave aside the debate on the wider strategy itself, it is crucially important that we know the where and the when. It is hard for me to comprehend how we could say that the local authority will provide the Minister with a plan or vision by the end of this year and that, within that context, any affordable houses will be delivered in County Monaghan by 2025 considering that there are no proposals for that right now. The crucial difficulty is that in order for a family of two adults and four children in County Monaghan to even be considered eligible for the housing waiting list, their income needs to be below €28,750. If a couple with four children had twice that income, even allowing for house prices in Monaghan, they would probably not secure a mortgage. Those income limits must be increased but there must also be a middle route for those who cannot get a mortgage or avail of social housing.

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