Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I appreciate the opportunity to speak here this afternoon on such an important topic. As Deputies know, the housing crisis is the single greatest issue facing this generation. I, like many of my colleagues, have spoken to so many people who still feel locked out of the property market. They are, perhaps, living at home, or are young people living abroad because they see a better quality of life and a better chance abroad. There are working families in a rental trap, unable to afford a mortgage. There are social housing waiting lists, and older people relying on a pension who are worried about their tenure in years to come. There are a lot of challenges out there with regard to the housing market.

I wish to quickly talk about three things. First, it is a specific measure and a commitment in the programme for Government to increase the level of capital to Irish Water over the next while. This is absolutely imperative. It has to be tied to new supply to enable housing and infrastructural development around the entire country, particularly in towns and villages across my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. We all know housing is the number one social issue and crisis facing this country but enabling infrastructure such as water would enable us to get more houses built more quickly and evenly throughout the country. We could get an awful lot more done.

In 2013, there were only 5,000 homes delivered. We are now in a situation - and it is a commitment in the programme for Government - to deliver 300,000 homes between 2025 and 2030, targeting at least 60,000 homes annually by the end of the period. We know from the ESRI and the Central Bank that it will cost €20 billion of investment, and the State - the Government, on behalf of the people - is contributing €7 billion towards that, the highest in any European country. The Government is putting more than any European country into trying to get the housing supply up.

We cannot do it alone. We need to support small businesses and the small builder out there, making sure they have access to finance and that the infrastructure is there when they build. I welcome the really positive news that the county development plans are being looked at again throughout the country. It is important that brownfield and greenfield sites are going to be looked at-----

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