Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)

People in Kerry are looking forward to the new planning framework and hoping it will deliver from them in a way previous plans have not done. I am talking about people who own land, not farmers' sons or daughters because they are being looked after. There are others who own an acre beside their parents' house, four or five miles outside Killorglin or seven or eight miles east of Killarney, but are still not allowed to build. We talk so much about housing here every day. It is scandalous that people who want to build and are asking for nothing but planning permission - no money or funding because they would build the houses themselves - are not being allowed to do so. It is all because of this significant urban-generated pressure that has been thrown at them.

For people who want to buy their own house, there have been no affordable houses in Kerry. The Government's plan did not provide for one affordable house in Kerry. As regards sewerage schemes and water schemes, we are totally ruined. Treatment plants in 38 settlements need upgrading. People in places like Scartaglen, Curragh, Castleisland and Moyvane cannot build another house. We then have group water schemes in places like Knight's Mountain, Gneeveguilla, Bawnard, Knocknaseed, Castleisland and the higher areas that are without water for a lot of the year. We need to do something.

People are blaming Irish Water and that is wrong because the company is not being funded. It cannot do this work without being funded. I ask the Government to show that if it is real about building houses, it has to build treatment plants and provide water sources. To do that, we need to fund Irish Water to provide those services.

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