Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I am glad to have this opportunity to raise with the Minister the matter of young fellas, boys and girls, leaving our shores to go to Australia simply because they cannot buy or build a house in this country no matter how good a job they have. I attended an event in Barraduff in east Kerry a couple of weeks ago for ten local youngsters who are departing our shores. Some of them have already gone and the rest will be gone before Christmas.

In other words, they will not be sitting at their parents' table for their Christmas dinner this year. I am hurt by that. They have been educated to the highest standards and persevered through long days and nights in colleges in Cork, Galway, Dublin, Limerick or wherever else. They are highly educated and their parents helped financially to put them through school. They are now caught because those aged between 25 and 32 feel they cannot get to a point where they can purchase or build a house. Houses in Killarney cost between €450,000 and €650,000. That is too much and people cannot get a mortgage for such houses. That is why they are departing.

On the other side, people cannot get planning permission. Kerry is unusual in that on about 100 km of national primary and secondary routes people are not allowed to exit from their own land due to restrictions on those routes. We have raised this issue several times.

A strict rule about urban-generated pressure was imposed on us by the planning regulator. It was intended to prevent people coming to the country from towns in order to build houses for themselves. Not only is it stopping such people, but it is also stopping people who are local to those sites, including those with a site close to their parents' house. I am not talking about the sons and daughters of farmers; they are getting permission. However, their neighbours next door are not. In the east Kerry hinterland of Killarney and the mid-Kerry hinterlands of Killorglin and Kenmare that is what is happening. People would build houses if they could get planning permission.

Many affordable housing schemes are not available in Kerry. We never had an affordable housing scheme. We do not have the cost rental scheme in Kerry. We are asking for fair play. I ask the Minister to address the restrictions on national roads. We have raised that several times. What will be done about it?

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his question. I am conscious that many young people emigrate from Ireland and go to Australia. That happened many years ago as well as now. I am sure, as the Deputy said, many go to try to get accommodation. I would advise that when they get to Australia they will find there is a similar housing issue there. Accommodation costs and the price of housing in Australia are exceptionally high.

The good news, however, is that people are returning. People may go to Australia from Ireland for a number of years to train in the work they do and for enjoyment. In general, a lot of them come back. We have seen that in the recent CSO statistics. Although many thousands leave Ireland each year, similar amounts return having spent a number of years away. Part of the reason for that is that they enjoy the quality of life in Ireland.

I am conscious that the Government has tried to introduce many measures to facilitate the young people the Deputy is talking about. He spoke about cost rental and affordable housing. Another great measure introduced by the Government is one he should tell his constituents about, namely the help to buy scheme. We know that scheme is specifically designed to encourage people who believe that a home may be out of their reach. It helps them to get through the extra required in order to ensure they can gain access to the property ladder.

We know from the latest available data from 30 May 2025 that the help to buy scheme has supported more than 56,000 first-time buyer individuals or couples to buy their own homes. It gives a refund of income tax and DIRT paid in the State over the previous four years, subject to certain limits. I ask the Deputy to inform people who are concerned that they may not be able to purchase accommodation to consider the help to buy scheme.

I also want the Deputy to be aware that 5,400 single one-off houses were approved for planning permission in 2024. I am conscious that the demands on the housing system are significant and severe, but the supply is increasing as time progresses.

The Deputy also mentioned the planning regulator and planning permission. We need to ensure that local authorities are giving planning permission and zoning land. We want to ensure there is enough zoned land available so that houses can be built. We are in the middle of a time when we need to build housing accommodation as promptly as possible. The planning regulator has a role to play in that. As the Taoiseach has stated, local authorities have a very significant role in ensuring adequate and sufficient land is rezoned so that people can build homes and live in the areas from where they came.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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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.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Healy-Rae, you should conclude.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I ask him to increase the cap that prevents people from getting on the housing list from €37,000 to €60,000. People are going away and not enough is being done.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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You will get no reply to your question. We are moving on to Questions on Policy and Legislation.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I ask the Minister to ask the local authority to build rural cottages on land owned by family members because it is only building one house a year at the minute. That is not enough. We would want to have-----

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Healy-Rae, resume your seat.

Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Talk to your brother.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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We have gone past time. We are moving on to Questions on Policy and Legislation.