Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)

It is disappointing that the Minister of State seems to be putting in amendments opposing the proposal. If this proposal was worked on, it would create a strong solution in relation to housing. Sometimes I wonder what the reasoning is behind the Government trying to block any good proposal being put forward. I thank Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice, John Campbell and Mark Nolan for putting this motion together.

Housing is one of the most pressing issues of our time. We must declare a national housing and infrastructure emergency to enable accelerated housing delivery. This is not just a matter of policy; it is a matter of urgency and necessity. We in Independent Ireland have had this in our policies since we were formed. We have solutions to the crisis. We want to mandate round-table pre-planning meetings within 30 days and make sure that applicants have access to the minutes of the meetings. This will ensure they know exactly what planners are looking for. We want to establish a housing delivery acceleration task force reporting to the Taoiseach to resolve interagency delays. We have empty local authority houses all over the country. They need to be turned around immediately. If these houses need to be retrofitted, that can be done while there are people in the houses. Why wait?

Rural housing guidelines should be reformed to allow multiple homes on family farmland. Week in, week out, daughters and sons of farmers come to see me about trying to get planning on their own land. The hoops they have to go through are unbelievable. God help us if there is more than one daughter or son in a family. The Government must think people should have only one child, like a Chinese family. We are proposing that standardised housing designs be permitted to speed up planning while complying with regulations. We want to expand planning exemptions for modular homes and conversions of up to 63 sq. m. Day after day, we are here in the Dáil constantly speaking on housing and homelessness, with more than 15,000 people homeless. This is a very simple solution, to allow people with a bit of extra land to put a modular home on their property without all of the planning red tape. If we are serious about stopping this crisis we are in, this is a huge way to plug it. Planning objections should be restricted to those with local concerns to curb serial objectors. It is absolutely mad to think a man in Donegal can object to a planning proposal on Mizen Head.

We want to fast-track construction apprenticeships for modular dual delivery and expand access to skills training in regions with low construction output. This is not rocket science; it is basic stuff. Local authorities' CEO contracts should be tied to performance on housing delivery. Make them accountable. Make everybody accountable. We want to introduce performance-linked funding for local authorities based on delivery metrics. High-performing councils should be rewarded with bonuses and public recognition, while accountability would be required from the underperforming ones.

To further support construction, we propose a temporary reduction of VAT on housing construction materials to 5%. Additionally, we will create a 30-day cost-recovery mechanism paid at 95% to provide social housing refurbishment. This will incentivise quick turnaround and utilisation of existing housing stock.

Our motion also advocates for publishing an Uisce Éireann delivery schedule, with additional funding for timely completion, and funding water and sewerage schemes via local community groups where Uisce Éireann does not provide the service. Uisce Éireann is an uncontrollable train and the Government has stood idly by and allowed that to happen. I look at places like Dunmanway, which may not have a sewerage system or build a house for the next ten, 15 or 20 years - we do not know. It is the same in Ballydehob, Shannonvale, Goleen and Rosscarbery. They have been waiting for 25 years while raw sewage pours into the sea. There is no Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, to be found anywhere. My God, if it was a farmer doing that, he would be put out of business within hours.

Yesterday, I spoke at length about a lady in Bantry, Jennifer Marley, who is 88 years of age. She is going to be without a home in the next number of weeks. Can anyone imagine the stress that woman is going through at 88 years of age trying to find a simple, basic home to call her own? She does not mind who owns it. She has been asked to leave the house she lives in. There are others such as an 82-year-old person from Dunmanway, an 80-year-old in Bantry, a 74-year-old in Timoleague and in Bandon two people, aged 60 and 70 years old, every one of whom deserves the respect to have a home. If the Government does not support the motion we are putting forward, which is for the general good to try to turn this around, it shows me that more people will be added to that list.

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