Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also wish the Minister and Minister of State well. There has been abject failure. There was an abject failure to reach 40,000 houses, which we all saw coming, unfortunately. The Government would say it did not, but either way we need to see success here or every Member is going to be inundated – as I and many others already are – by representations from those who are suffering due to the housing crisis. There are those who cannot afford the rents. I did my usual and looked at daft.ie. There were 15 places in Dundalk and 22 in the surrounds. There are not actually that many because obviously if you were to send one of the multiple emails the advertiser will receive, you will find most of these houses are gone. There was a three-bedroom property for €2,100, a two-bedroom for €1,450, a two-bedroom for €1,350 and a two-bedroom for €1,900, but these listings are not a big shock to anybody. We must ensure we see delivery.

When the protection from eviction was removed, we had the promise of the tenant in situ scheme. I will accept that, with tinkering, it was a system that operated and that worked for a number of families so we need to see funding for it. I am sure everyone has been contacted by those who were on the verge of a tenant in situ arrangement being delivered and it is an absolutely necessary element of enabling councils to restock. We just need to put it into operation. There have also been issues with ensuring there is a sufficient amount of maintenance money provided to the local authorities to allow them to fix up these properties. I accept there are houses that are not fit to be bought, but that is not what I am talking about. I have seen instances where the local authority is afraid to buy anything that is not brand new. We need the tenant in situ scheme, but we need to look at how it is delivered.

We talk about new modes of construction. We had 3D printing in Muirhevnamor in Dundalk. We need to ensure this is done properly. We know about the opportunities presented by modular, timber frame and 3D concrete printing, but none of this will happen without capacity.

Members have mentioned wastewater. There are the issues with disability and housing adaptation grants. We all accept there has been an increase, but there are a huge number of families who are not necessarily going to be covered by those moneys and there is a holistic way of dealing with this. We also need to look at the point on universal design. I could talk about estate management and all those other issues, but we must ensure we have delivery and protection for those renting at the minute. They are very worried about the conversations around rent pressures zones.

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