Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ar an gcéad dul síos, I too, on behalf of the Rural Independent Group, condemn that most savage crime in Texas last night and I extend my sympathies to everyone affected.

It is appropriate the Minister is taking Leaders’ Questions here today. The housing crisis is worsening and immediate emergency measures are required to prevent more and more families from becoming homeless, to assist those who have already become homeless, and to give our Irish citizens a fair chance at homeownership.

The crisis in Tipperary is deepening, and despite the efforts of Tipperary County Council, which I salute, to meet its housing targets, these measures are simply insufficient to deal with the scale of the problem. Today, just nine properties are listed on daft.ieas being available in the for-rent category in the entire county of Tipperary. This is a huge county from Carrick-on-Suir right up to Lorrha with a population of 159,000 people. In the south of the county, just three properties are available to rent with nothing larger than two-bedroom apartments available for €1,000. It is just desperate.

Housing is now beyond the reach of most Irish people and this will have a very serious long-term impact on Ireland’s social fabric. Tipperary County Council’s recent analysis of household affordability found that 21.2% of households in Tipperary are experiencing affordability issues in keeping a roof over their heads, while Tipperary has not been included in the Housing for All plan to build affordable houses on State-owned land between now and 2026. This is an awful situation.

A shocking new report now confirms that first-time buyers will now need an income of €77,000 to buy a home, which is almost €30,000 above the average national wage. This means the housing market is closed to the majority of first-time buyers in Ireland. The report also shows that those first-time buyers who can get a mortgage approval, mainly couples, are drawing down an average of €254,000 on new homes, which is €17,000 above the €237,000 figure at the height of the boom. Something is badly wrong here.

This means the Government’s housing policy is trapping even those who can get onto the housing ladder in a mountain of debt that will take a lifetime to repay. The Government’s housing policies are a catastrophic mess and the only winners are the banks and the multinational-type developers and investment funds. Ireland housing problems are rooted in the high cost of construction, which has driven up our sale and rental prices and is compounded by lack of supply and a growing population.

The Government’s plans to give between €120,000 and €144,000 per apartment to large multinational developers is outright insanity in our and my opinion. The move will only add to the costs and will drive up the unaffordability gap that is already there for everyone. This is a crazy and daft idea.

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