Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have been a builder all my life. I have been building from when I was a teenager to today when I am over 50. Since I have been elected to this House, I have been trying to give advice to the Government regarding the shortfall and why we cannot build houses. The Minister was in Limerick recently and we went around all the places where he was announcing houses. Every one of the contractors we met told us the sewerage systems are at maximum capacity and they cannot build more.

I was in Offaly today where they are going to retrofit two and three-bedroom houses. Certain members of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Heritage and Local Government, including Deputy Ó Broin, did not turn up today to see these retrofitted buildings even though the committee was there. They did not turn up to see the ash dieback in Tipperary the other day. They were invited but did not turn up. Well, I turned up, a member of the Rural Independent Group. I voted against the Government last week and was then criticised by Sinn Féin. Deputy Ó Broin spoke about how some Independents denied it.

I know what is wrong. What is wrong is we have no infrastructure, which is a failure of this Government and previous governments. We can build houses in Limerick. Give us the infrastructure and we can build them. We could have them this year, next year and the year after but there is no infrastructure because it was never invested in. Uisce Éireann has taken billions but has delivered nothing for the area. Now the Government is going back to the local authorities and is going to give them the money to upgrade the systems themselves through the Department because of the failure of Uisce Éireann. For God's sake, will the Government just listen? We cannot build houses in this country without infrastructure so how can the Government put people out on the road if it has no infrastructure and no alternatives? Listen to people like me. We understand it. We build it. We live it every day. Listen to the people with experience not the people who criticise builders. I am one. I do not build houses but I help people to build houses. I help to get planning permission and I help to get infrastructure for Ireland.

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