Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for the question on housing and how we give our young people hope in terms of the ability to own or indeed in some cases to build their own home. I do not say this in any way disrespectfully to the Deputy but taxes are an important part of funding the State and we cannot just reduce or abolish them all. We have taken a number of measures recently to reduce the cost of construction and to try to assist around viability but we have also taken a number of measures on the tax side, particularly the help-to-buy scheme, which has literally helped tens of thousands of people get some of their own tax back towards a deposit for their home. That is a scheme we are very committed to as a Government and we are committed to keeping it in place until the end of the mandate of this Government.

The Deputy made points regarding mortgages and the amount a person can borrow. These are issues that I genuinely hear from people but we also have to get the balance right because we do not want to arrive back at the place we were in the past with a very high level of mortgage indebtedness and the difficulty that arises from that. We, as a Government, have a number of schemes in place and have commitments in the programme for Government to keep them under review.

We have to do more on rural housing. We have to make sure that people have an ability to live in their own community. It is a really important part of balanced regional development and the regeneration of rural communities and we have got to get it right. It is not about a free-for-all and it is certainly not about people from one part of the country building a holiday home in the other. It is about people who have a social and economic connection with the community being able to live in their own community and build their own home. It is about people who are not asking the Government to do anything other than allow them to build their own home and if we are being honest, until now, the rules have been inconsistent. The rules depend on whether you live in this county or that county, which is not fair. This is a small country and it is a small island and we need to have a consistent approach to rural planning guidelines.

The intention now is to have a new national planning statement on rural housing prepared under section 25 of the Planning and Development Act, which will ultimately require Government approval and then will be issued by the Minister for housing. The new statement will refine, update and replace the existing guidelines as well as provide more clarity and more consistency across the planning authorities by defining where and how rural housing can be developed. I believe it will make it easier for people, including young people, to be able to build a home in their own community. The benefits of that socially and economically for rural Ireland, including parts of County Kerry, will be significant. We need to facilitate rural housing for those with a local housing need where they need to live or work in a rural area. Of course, we always have to balance that with protecting the rural character of countryside and preventing urban-generated sprawl as well. I am really looking forward to the new national planning statement coming to Government very shortly and I think it will be of significant benefit to rural communities.

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