Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As I said, huge activity has been under way on the housing front, notwithstanding Covid-19 and the inflationary cycle that has come as a result of the war in Ukraine which affected house construction. We will exceed our targets on the Housing for All plan this year. We will get more than 24,600 houses but that is not enough. We need to get to 33,000 houses per annum. Next year’s target is 29,000, as per the plan. That needs a collective approach from everybody in this House and from society.

Our planning system will be overhauled but it needs to be overhauled because we do not have the luxury of opposing housing projects here, there and everywhere, on an ongoing basis or in a serial manner, because that just slows down the process whereby people who need houses get houses. The younger generation needs houses and access to houses.

In regard to Donegal, the Minister will meet the chief executive officer of Donegal County Council next week to discuss a range of issues. The mica scheme is one for the long haul in the sense that a set number of homes is coming forward. I think about 300 have been identified as needing major works.

One area we are looking at is rapid build. That has to be considered in addition to what we are doing already in regard to house building. New technologies in house construction emerge all the time, which means we can shorten the time for constructing a house. Last week, I had good discussions with Fingal County Council. I was on a site where 1,000 houses will be built. It can at least do this within 12 months, from sanction to people moving into the houses. We use terminology incorrectly about this. Much of it is new manufacturing technology and new models of delivery in terms of steel frame and factory sites doing much of the work off-site, which means people are in a position to accelerate the construction of a house. We will see greater use of rapid build to deal with all of the issues we have, including the social housing waiting list, and to deal with situations that arise in terms of mica or whatever else.

We have taken measures. I met mica group representatives in Donegal more than a year and a half ago with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O’Brien. The Minister then engaged on the cost of rent in advance, which had not been allowed in the previous scheme. We rectified that. The financial wherewithal is there now under the new legislation and new scheme to assist people in securing rental accommodation. Deputy Pringle is pointing out that there is an issue.

See this speech in context