Michael McCarthy (Labour)

In recent times we have seen that the consumer very often has to pick up the tab. The increased charges are a retrograde step. This major increase will stretch budgets that are already tight and will result in some people being unable to buy their own houses.

One could fill the House with housing reports, but there is a pattern in them which shows that building material costs and construction charges have remained almost static. In some cases there may have been an increase of as little as 0.6% while the increase in the cost of the house could be as much as 10% or 15%. This is a serious anomaly. The house cost increase is due to the very high price of building land. There has been much debate about that issue, but it needs to be tackled. If we do not tackle it and do not look at the component factors such as the provision of infrastructure and the cost of building land and materials, we will end up with a situation that is unacceptable to those seeking houses or to the decision makers who must deal with the matter. I am aware that this debate has been going on for some time in the Dáil, but we need to consider capping the price of building land. I may be wrong, but I believe the Taoiseach suggested the possibility of a referendum on the issue next June.

The housing issue is worrying. We need only look at the reports, observations and pre-budget submissions of many of the voluntary agencies such as Threshold and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. All those involved have professional expertise. They are committed to the matters they deal with and have vast banks of knowledge. When they tell us there is a housing problem, we need to listen. One can expect Opposition Members to point to problems, but those people are at the coal face. They have the data and the statistics. People come to them requesting houses. Action is needed.