Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to outline his proposals. The plan is a very positive one. I was a member of a local authority which was fortunate enough to be in a position to build public housing in recent years when other local authorities were not. The benefit of the housing plan can also be viewed from the perspective of job creation. There have been a number of welcome jobs announcements in Limerick recently but one of the factors affecting job applications was the housing shortage in the county.

The plan is very positive in lots of ways. Previous speakers referred to the Part 8 process and I voted on many Part 8 proposals during the 17 years that I spent on my local authority. The Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, visited Limerick recently for the launch of the hydro development which was closed down as a local authority development in 2002 and is only now being rebuilt. It is positive to see these units coming back on stream. The more investment in vacant units we see, the better and I know that is one element of the Minister's plan.

Up to now, local authorities have been very engaged and involved in the planning process. When I was in Australia I noted that the oral hearing system there was very effective. There are references to such hearings in the Bill in the context of exceptional circumstances. That might be one way of including members of local authorities, especially with regard to some of the bigger schemes. In the Australian system, the proposers of schemes are given a hearing, as are those who are opposed to them. Perhaps that system could be used more frequently rather than only being used in exceptional circumstances.

I am glad to see that the Bill will strengthen the powers of the Private Residential Tenancies Board because many tenants have been treated very badly by landlords. Landlords have been getting away with an awful lot. While some are very nice to their tenants, many treat them very badly. I was made aware of a case recently where the conduct of a landlord was simply deplorable. The tenant was bullied to such an extent that he was afraid to report the landlord. I hope we will see an end to that type of behaviour.

I would like to see a greater focus on unfinished estates. There is an unfinished retirement village in my electoral area comprised of 15 to 20 units. A developer has taken the estate over with the intention of finishing it but is being put through an enormous number of hoops. He is currently on his fourth or fifth planning application. People would be queuing up to get into the village because it comprises very nice bungalows in a very good location on the outskirts of the city. There is high demand but the developer is tearing his hair out with frustration. He is trying to get the project over the line. People are approaching him and telling him that they would like to buy one of the units but he is still awaiting final planning permission. I would urge the Department to focus on unfinished estates which are crucial to the development of villages, towns and cities.

The target in the plan is 47,000 social housing units per year and an increase of 25,000 in private units per year. Companies that are considering locating in Ireland take housing availability into account alongside issues such as the availability of a skilled workforce and access.