Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Last year, the Department of Finance published figures that highlighted that an annual output of 50,000 new homes would require funding of €20.4 billion a year, with the majority of this money coming from private development, including public funding. We know that record public funding has been put in for 2025. In order to get our housing market working, there are two key elements that international institutions look at before they commit finance to home construction finance. These are the return of their capital and policy stability. We have had a lot of debate about new interventions in recent weeks but what developers and international funds need are policy certainty and stability in the medium term.

From my perspective as newly elected TD, I am very aware that housing is a major social and economic challenge that touches every generation. In 1983, my parents were offered a council house by Kilkenny County Council. They moved into a two-bedroom house with three kids at the time. The family managed to purchase the house and it is still the family home to this day. They were given an opportunity by the State to better themselves. My siblings and I were given an opportunity to have the security of a home, which means so much to so many people.

Housing supply has increased significantly over the past decade but much more needs to be achieved. I want to focus in particular on the issues we have throughout the country with wastewater treatment and the small towns and villages growth programme. I will focus on Kilkenny where, at present, 14 schemes have been identified under the small towns and villages growth programme. These are Bennettsbridge, Paulstown, Piltown, Fiddown, Inistioge, Mullinavat, Kells, Kilmanagh, Glenmore, Ballyhale, Windgap, Dungarvan and Freshford. All of these schemes have been highlighted and prioritised by the local council for funding through the small towns and villages growth programme. However, having received feedback from Irish Water, the earliest that the first scheme the council has as a priority can be done, which is Bennettsbridge, is 2029. My understanding is that all of the other schemes must wait until that one is done. This is based on correspondence I have received. This is simply not good enough or acceptable. These towns and villages and their GAA clubs, shops, post offices and schools all depend on a housing market and people coming in, setting up and putting down roots in their communities. It is not there, but it needs to be. I have not even spoken about water services, an issue that is hamstringing other places.

In Kilkenny, there are now only six towns and villages with the capacity to grow in terms of social affordable housing. Every other one is at capacity, between water and wastewater. As places such as Thomastown have capacity, large amounts of development are happening there, while places such as Inistioge and Graiguenamanagh have no capacity. They are dwarfing while Thomastown is exploding. It does not have capacity in the schools while there is capacity in other areas. This is something about which I feel very strongly.

Another point I want to make is on legislation. The national planning framework will be discussed in the Dáil shortly. We were able to put in place emergency legislation for the Ukrainian crisis. Accommodation was made available and put back into use throughout the country to cater for the Ukrainian crisis. I am asking that we do something similar for our housing crisis because we are in an emergency situation. Whatever needs to be done can be debated in the Houses but we have to get serious and get real about housing. If we do not do so, we will go nowhere. We have to support our families, we have to support rural towns and villages, and we have to do it now. We cannot wait. I ask that we have a look at putting in place emergency legislation to speed up development, get these houses built and support families and communities. We can worry about the specifics and upgrading once the houses are built. It is very important that this be put in place.

With regard to some of the schemes, I have to say the croí cónaithe scheme has become very important for rural Ireland to help people get access to properties. There is a significant grant of between €50,000 and €70,000 but, on the other side, we have a situation where owners of a derelict or vacant property, which might have been there for 15 or 20 years, are inflating the price significantly. This needs to be addressed. I welcome the croí cónaithe scheme but we need to keep an eye on this.

With regard to first-time buyers, it is important that we have a balanced conversation on housing. Over the past five years, 119,000 first-time buyer mortgages were drawn down. In 2024 alone, mortgage drawdowns for first-time buyers reached more than 26,000, with a value of more than €7.8 billion. It is the highest annual level since 2007. Progress is being made but it is just not being made quickly enough. We need to get a little bit more urgency and intensity to deliver housing throughout the country and, in particular, in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny.

Some of the schemes we have are proving very popular. A total of 4,000 affordable schemes were delivered in 2023. Delivery of affordable housing has more than doubled, with an increase of 128% in 2022 activity. The help to buy scheme was extended and there have been more than 51,000 approvals for the scheme. It is an incredibly successful scheme. The Opposition, including Sinn Féin, have opposed it time and again but 51,000 families in the country have benefited from the scheme to date and this must be welcomed. It needs to be continued. I know it is a measure in the programme for Government that will be continued.

With regard to our construction sector's capacity, more than 175,000 people now work in construction. There was a record number of 9,000 apprentice registrations in the construction sector in 2024. We need to continue to promote and encourage people to go down the route of apprenticeships. In Kilkenny in my constituency, and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will be aware of it, we have a greenfield site of 15 acres where there will be a brand new institute of further education and training. It will cater for 5,000 students and will include apprenticeships, be they in carpentry, bricklaying or whatever the case may be.

We need more homes and we need to get urgent about it. We need to get a little bit tougher and more rigorous with Irish Water and its delivery. We need to challenge it more. Funding has been made available and that is great, but we need accountability in the delivery of these projects. I have mentioned 14 wastewater treatment plants in Kilkenny that need upgrading or need a decision. I have to go back to those towns and villages to tell them where they are at. I cannot go back to Inistioge, for example, and tell the people everything is great but we cannot build a house there for another five or six years so the schools will decline, the GAA club will be low in numbers, the post office will be threatened and the shop will struggle. We cannot have a situation like this and it needs to be highlighted.

Increasing supply is the key to addressing the housing crisis. The Government is acutely aware of this and it needs to pursue every action possible to support people out of homelessness and give children the best start in life. I was fortunate enough to get that start. Every child in the country deserves the same opportunity that I had. We need to build record levels of social homes. We will have the launch of the new starter home programme. We need to support people to get keys, get into their homes, give them security of tenure and make sure our towns and villages in rural Carlow and Kilkenny can thrive in future. We need to make it happen.

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