Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

Housing is the single greatest issue facing my generation. I start with an issue I have raised in this Chamber a number of times, and will continue to raise, which is modern methods of construction, modular homes, log cabins or whatever we want to call them. I recognise the Minister of State's position on it. I welcome the work done to date by Government on planning exemptions relating to backyard development, but we need to go further. I have said repeatedly and say it again that there is a place for these types of homes across Ireland, particularly rural Ireland. I canvassed in the local and general elections last year. There are countless laneways in north Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny where I see those modular homes and log cabins. They are working for people who cannot afford a house otherwise, and for a lot of young families. We need to see planning for those, but furthermore we need to allow planning retrospectively for houses that can meet the planning requirements. I am not saying there should be a free for all. I am saying that where wastewater and water connections, utilities and proper planning can be met, the ban that is there in many county councils should be removed and they should be allowed to be built. They are the only form of affordable housing that many young people in rural Ireland can afford, whether young people trying to take over a farm, or a young person who might have a site from their parents they could potentially build on. It is an option for some. It is not a perfect solution, but it will work, and we need urgency in allowing that to happen.

There is also the issue of development contributions in rural Ireland. I am not particularly pleased that they have now stopped, and the one-off house in particular has to pay its development contribution and the levy again. People contact me and ask what they are getting in return for it. To be honest, in a rural area, they are getting essentially zero except the privilege of building on their own site. We need to re-establish that waiver to help those people with the cost of building. There is also student accommodation in Thurles in my constituency. Thurles has two universities, TUS and Mary Immaculate College. Mary Immaculate is bursting at the seams, and TUS is continuing to grow now that it has university status. The town desperately needs student accommodation. Every year we see students rush to Thurles to try to find somewhere and it is only putting more pressure on a market that is already ferociously under pressure. We need to see purpose-built student accommodation in Thurles as a matter of priority. I also want to see affordable housing developments built across Nenagh, Thurles and Roscrea in north Tipperary to begin with. Affordable housing is a major issue in my constituency. We are seeing lots of active planning permissions on an issue I will come to shortly - wastewater capacity. However, affordable housing is a must, particularly for younger people and working families who are trying to get a start in life with a home on their own.

On wastewater capacity, I name Nenagh, Cloughjordan and Ballycommon as three examples I have raised multiple times in this House. Nenagh is the largest town in north Tipperary. There is no capacity in the system at the moment to build any houses, despite the fact that approximately 1,000 could be built in the morning. There are probably other constraints, but there is planning there for them. Social housing and private developments are being held up because of a lack of capacity. We thought there was capacity in Nenagh until the census was done. Even without new houses being built, because population has grown to the extent it has, there is now not capacity in that system. We are looking at 2029 for that to be completed, and that is just not good enough. Cloughjordan, where I live, has been facing major constraints for 15-plus years, waiting for Irish Water at least since its establishment to get its act together and build out the plant to allow us build homes in our village. Similarly, Ballycommon could have more than 30 houses built in a small village. We need the investment in wastewater and water infrastructure going into Uisce Éireann to remove those blockages and allow those houses to be built.

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