Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have an opportunity to speak about the provision of housing and affordable houses. I do not know how there is so much talk about affordable houses because no house is affordable now with the cost of materials, the cost of labour and the shortage of labour. I must speak about the number of vacant houses around the county of Kerry in towns and villages and between villages. Take the road from Kenmare through Kilgarvan and down to Killarney. Within ten miles of Killarney town in Glenflesk there are 55 vacant houses on the side of the national primary and regional roads. There are buses passing every day that people could walk onto. They would not have to walk up or down anywhere or drive anywhere; they could step onto the bus on the side of the road where the houses are vacant. I ask the Government to do something about this. I mentioned to the Minister previously that we need to do something about the vacant houses around the place.

A large number of people would build a house for themselves if they could get planning permission. In areas around Kilorglin, Killarney, Kenmare and Dingle the urban-generated pressure clause announced a few years ago and put in place by the planning regulator, and not by the hard-working councillors, affects not people coming out from towns but people building beside where their parents are, and where they have an acre or a couple of acres of land. They are not farmers' sons or daughters. Farmers' sons and daughters are catered for and allowed for, and we are glad of that, but many people cannot get planning permission locally because of this strict urban-generated pressure clause.

I heard the Taoiseach today and I could not believe I heard him say that local authority voids, including Kerry County Council voids, should be turned around in a week or two. That is not the case in Kerry. There was a very sought-after house on Marian Terrace in Killarney which was vacant and void for five years or more. There are several more such houses in places such as Gneevegullia. There are five houses there which have been vacant for more than three years. This is not acceptable.

Deputy Cahill spoke about wastewater treatment plants. I am aware of them. There are 38 settlements in Kerry whose treatment plants are not up to standard or they do not have one. Scartaglin is one of those villages that does not have a treatment plant. Back 15 years ago, when Tom Fleming and I were on Kerry County Council, we had got it to third on the list. There is no account of it on any list now. Curragh has no treatment plant. In places such as Moyvane people cannot build another house because it is over capacity. The treatment plant in Brosna needs upgrading. There are various places and settlements, including the likes of Castleisland. In 1986 people there sought to extend the sewer. In my father's garage I found old documents that had been thrown out which showed people were looking for an extension and had been promised it in 1986. We are speaking about sewerage. These people are suffering because they have to clean out their septic tanks at least once a month. I could stay talking for an hour about the situation regarding housing but I must allow my colleague in.

See this speech in context