Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)

I thank the Minister. The people I am talking about know about the help to buy scheme. Many of them do not qualify.

The Minister referred to zoned land. We have zoned land in Kenmare. Johnny Healy-Rae raised this last week. There are two applications before Kerry County Council that have gone out for further information. Developers are supposed to provide their own water. They have been asked to do so because the water is not adequate in Kenmare. No private housing scheme has been built by any individual in Kenmare in the past 20 years because of the treatment plant. Some €40 million has been spent on that plant, but now we have no water. Kerry County Council tried to take water out of the Bonane river ten years ago. The case went to the High Court and the European Court of Appeal and the council lost. The council spent €3 million on that case. We still have no water in Kenmare, even though we are surrounded by lakes, springs and everything else. I ask the Minister to address this.

The Minister is doing a lot of things, but he must make sure local authorities build houses again. They are not building any houses in places like Gneeveguilla, Currow and Scartaglin, or other local parishes.

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