Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Sinn Féin for this motion. If all of us who have been talking about housing in here for the last seven or eight years put one block on top of the other every day since we started talking we would have a building built that was taller than the Empire State Building in New York. That is the gospel truth.

There are a few things I have raised several times before. We have 171 voids in Kerry. The Government should start there and give us money to put those back in use again. Levies and service charges are depriving many people of the chance to build their own houses. Water connections, water and sewerage services and all that are too expensive. They are between a third and half the cost of the house. Getting rid of bedsits was a wrong move, as many people started out in those. I have said that several times. Planning permission in Kerry is now only for landowners' sons and daughters. While I appreciate that, there are a lot of other young boys and girls who would build a house for themselves if they could get planning permission somewhere in a corner in rural Ireland. There are plenty of corners and plenty of places but the rules are such now that they will not get planning permissions. Members combined in here and voted to get rid of Airbnbs. You can be there from June to January and these will not turn into long-term lets. The big problem is landlords are getting out because of two things, namely, they have to pay 52% tax on what they get and if something goes wrong, they cannot get tenant out. They do not own their own house any more and that is the gospel truth. Harm is being done by extending things to allow tenants stay on.

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