Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I shall comment on the local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF, which is critical infrastructure funding that was announced by the Government yesterday. The funding is welcome. As much as €226 million will be spent on the critical roll-out provision of essential infrastructure for the development of new homes.

The scheme will cover 34 sites and 15 councils. I would like to ask the Minister why the scheme will only be rolled out to 15 councils. I call on the Leader to invite the Minister to come in here to answer my question. There are 31 local authorities yet funding has only been allocated to 15 of them. I am open to correction but I think 22 councils applied for the funding.

Both Galway city or county local authorities applied for critical infrastructure funding for social housing, private housing and affordable housing. I am disappointed, following yesterday's announcement, to learn that neither authority received funding. The scheme will cover 34 sites around the country and will produce 70,000 new homes. There is a 10% gain for social and affordable housing, which is a plus. The scheme will lead to a win-win situation. I want to acknowledge the work done by the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and the Government. I thank them for funding this scheme, which forms part of the Rebuilding Ireland initiative.

I suggest to the Leader that it would be appropriate for us to invite the Minister to the Chamber to explain the rationale behind the scheme and to keep us up to speed on what is, perhaps, one of the single biggest problems facing everyone at the moment. I am referring to access to a home be it social housing, affordable housing and to purchase a house at a reasonable and fair price. I acknowledge yesterday's good news story. I ask the Leader to arrange for the Minister to come to this Chamber in the next few weeks to tease out how the scheme will be rolled out.