Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Ó Broin for bringing forward this motion. The shortage of, and absolute need for, affordable homes to buy and rent is a major issue in my county of Meath. The motion further calls on the Government to dramatically increase its investment in the delivery of genuinely affordable homes for working people and to deliver at least 8,000 affordable homes to rent and to buy annually. We have a proven track record in delivering housing in County Meath but it is nowhere near enough to meet demand. The Government's targets are way below what is needed, particularly according to the Housing Agency. The current spatial strategy plans to significantly curtail development in the county during the lifetime of the current county development plan out to 2027. We have development and that is welcome, but it is slowing. We have development, but it is most certainly not affordable to buy or to rent. The opposite is the case.

I looked at what is available to buy in County Meath this evening. In the Willows development in Dunshaughlin, a two-bedroom home is available from €375,000 and a three-bedroom terraced house from €445,000. In Ashbrooke, Ratoath, there is a four-bedroom house from €539,000, while in Tara Close there is a four-bedroom house from €535,000. In Churchfields, Ashbourne, there is a second-hand property with three bedrooms from €400,000, while on Dún Riabhach Park, a new estate in the town, there is a three-bedroom semi-detached house for €475,000. There is also a four-bedroom property to rent from €3,200 monthly. These are simply unaffordable.

We are a county that has seen affordable housing schemes in the past and the Minister will be aware of that. In 2019, when other places did not have them, we had ten affordable houses in Broadmeadow Vale, Ratoath, a project significantly supported by the taxpayer through the local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF, to build a road to unlock land for development. The road is still not built and the remaining development has still not happened. We have the largest strategic housing development in the State. The diggers are on site. Some 20 affordable houses are planned in the Willows estate, Dunshaughlin. The closing date was last week. It is very welcome, but it is hugely oversubscribed and not affordable for many people. There is a minimum purchase price of €292,000 for a two-bedroom house and €320,000 for a three-bedroom house.

The motion further calls for a cut to the red tape for the delivery of social and affordable housing. We have social housing developments in County Meath. It took eight years, though, to deliver housing on the Department of Education site in Ashbourne, while on a site on the estate in Kells where I grew up, it has taken seven years to deliver housing. This is simply unacceptable and has a huge impact. There is a real human cost to this situation. I call on the Minister to recognise the need to support the Sinn Féin motion.

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