Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the principled stand the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, has taken in respect of the right of people living in rural communities to build one-off houses. I grew up at the foot of Slieve Mish in the open countryside of Keel, Castlemaine. I will not be told that my children will not be able to build a house and live there after me. It is the same for every other rural community in the country. We have a right to live in the countryside and we will always have that right. This party will always stand for that right.

In the minute or so I have left, I will focus on one particular area of Housing for All. I welcome the document overall. It is overdue but its implementation will make a real difference. We particularly need to look at the thousands of derelict properties in our towns and dotting the countryside. These are properties that could become homes in a relatively short period. Many of the measures in this plan are for the long term. Those waiting for a home cannot wait that long. It is a crying shame. We have so many derelict properties and so many pinch points in respect of the rules and so-called supports that are in place. I will focus on one or two of them. One relates to the help-to-buy scheme. This is available to someone to demolish a derelict building but not to renovate it. That makes no sense. Can we not cop on and make the scheme available to a first-time buyer who is planning to renovate a home? Can we get more supply of those types of homes onto the market by allowing a capital gains tax holiday of a year or a year and a half for people selling such properties to first-time buyers? These are measures that I have been seeking for three years.

Can we look at the home renovation incentive, HRI, model? That was very helpful. Can we apply similar thinking to the case of first-time buyers buying derelict properties to help bring them up to modern standards? It is not rocket science. We could get thousands of derelict properties in towns, villages and the countryside back into circulation as homes.

Finally, can we work with our utility companies such as the ESB and Irish Water with regard to rebates for first-time buyers looking to reconnect properties? These could operate over seven years and an occupancy clause could be applied. It would take that additional cost off of people who are trying to renovate these properties. We are in the middle of an unprecedented housing crisis, yet people who are trying to bring these properties back into circulation as homes face obstacle after obstacle. These problems can be fixed quickly but the political will is needed. The budget next week is a great opportunity to show that will.

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