Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister will be welcome to Tipperary. He talks the good talk but we were told that we are out of that plan. The catastrophic dysfunction means that all small builders are not even able now to tender for building houses that are bound to fixed-price contracts. This is just not happening and they have given up the ghost because they cannot get prices from suppliers.

Before the most recent general election, the Fianna Fáil leader and now Taoiseach promised that under his party in government, councils would be given the tools to deal with this, but those tools have not been given. The Government talks the talk but that is all. I will bring the Minister to any main street in any town in Tipperary tomorrow and show him the situation. There is a song called "It's a Long Way to Tipperary", but we will have a long good day in Tipperary and he will see the dereliction and the vacant properties. We are hearing about this being dealt with for 15 years but it has not happened. The Minister will be a hero if he gets it going and gets those places restored. In doing so, he will do two things: he will provide accommodation for Irish people and he will create living town centres, which is very important.

The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland told Deputies today that the cost of delivering a three-bedroom semi-detached home on a new estate was €330,000 in 2016 and had risen to €371,000 in 2020. All the experts and institutions are telling the Minister what is happening but he is telling a different story in here.

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