Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The ordinary people of counties Carlow and Kilkenny are paying the price of the failures of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Month after month, the housing crisis deepens. Average rents in Carlow and Kilkenny are almost €1,600 a month, which is a staggering burden for workers and families.

Scores of people want to build or buy their own home across Kilkenny. They have worked hard and saved up but because of the failures of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, they have been denied that opportunity. These workers and families are being locked indefinitely into paying ridiculous rents and are denied the security of a home of their own because of the Government's actions.

As most people know, basic infrastructure such as sewage and water treatment are fundamental in the provision of communities. Sewage and water treatment facilities are also a fundamental requirement of expanding communities and building new homes. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, in their wisdom, did not see fit to provide the necessary investment in the upgrading of facilities across Kilkenny and Carlow. As a result, many prime sites for building are left untouched, with building homes around most towns in Kilkenny no longer an option, leaving towns and communities paralysed in terms of any potential to grow and expand.

Bennetsbridge is the next town due to see the upgrade of services and works with these works are not planned to start until 2029. Until these works are completed, communities in south Kilkenny like my own village of Knocktopher, Ballyhale and Mullinavat will see no new developments being built.

A generation is being locked out of home ownership and at this rate my grandchildren's generation will not even stand a chance.

How has this Government constantly failed to plan for the future needs of towns and villages across rural Ireland? No wonder this Government missed its housing targets. Some 10,000 fewer homes were built than were promised last year. How many more thousands will it be this year? How many more times will the public be misled on housing targets and reports, all the while the public are losing hope that the current Government have any interest in solving the housing crisis?

On St. Patrick's Day, I was honoured to walk in the parade with The Good Shepherd Centre Kilkenny, which provide services for women, men and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. How many more years will communities across Kilkenny and Carlow be left behind because of the incompetence of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael?

See this speech in context