Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In my brief two minutes, I will make a few points about the housing situation in the north west. First of all, the ceiling for the first home scheme for Sligo is €325,000. However, at present, there are no new builds in Sligo for €325,000, therefore, there are no new homes in Sligo that are eligible for this scheme. The ceiling price of €325,000 remains unchanged for Sligo since January 2023 yet if we look at the increase in house prices in Sligo and Leitrim for 2023, we can see that it is 7.7%. While the scheme is an important and good one, nobody can avail of it in Sligo so I ask the Government to look again at the ceiling prices and ensure that they reflect the reality of the housing market.

I also want to raise the overall issue of the number of new dwelling completions in the north-west region. According to 2023 figures, we have 17% of the population yet the CSO told us that we have only 11% of housing completions whereas if we look at the eastern and midland regions with 40% of the population, we can see they have 65% of housing completions. We need a much greater regional spread in house building. The Minister keeps saying that supply is key. He is right but the supply is not coming on stream for the northern and western regions and it is no wonder you cannot get a new build for €325,000 and that rents have skyrocketed. The recent RTB report last week showed that Sligo, Roscommon and Donegal were in the top seven counties with the highest rent increases for 2023 in new tenancies. Anybody in Sligo looking to rent a home has seen a €300 increase per month in the last quarter of 2023 and anybody looking to buy a new home cannot avail of the first home scheme. Supply is key but supply is way behind in the region.

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