Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber, a place with which he has been very familiar in recent years. This is an important day. We are trying to put legislation in place that will be very important for the Rebuilding Ireland initiative and society. What we hope to do is ensure that we can maximise the potential in every site the throughout Ireland. We are all aware of sites that have not been finished. We now have an opportunity to ensure that these sites will be finished in a timely and orderly manner. That is appropriate.

The second extension is something that has been sought for many years. It has been talked about by many local authorities. I know it is limited to developments of over 20 homes but it has been an issue for some time. The original extension was introduced in 2011 and was very positive. It gave people who were under pressure the opportunity to stall their developments and keep them alive. We are now saying that if the developments are starting, they have the opportunity to finish the development. It is positive legislation that will deliver housing as part of Pillar 3 of Rebuilding Ireland. I compliment the Minister on bringing it forward.

The larger issue is supply. How can we increase supply throughout the country? This is about trying to ensure that housing is built. This is a part of it, as is planning permission. Ensuring that planning permissions do not die is part of it. Ensuring that finance is available is another key part.

Another matter we need to consider relates to who is going to build these houses. This is becoming a major issue across the country. Unemployment is falling rapidly and heading below 7%. Trying to get staff to ensure that we can build these houses is very important. It is said that we need six men to build ten houses in a year. We do not have them at the moment. I have been talking to builders in Cork. Their biggest issue is finance. They have issues regarding planning permission but trying to get qualified tradesmen to deliver the rebuilding project is becoming a huge problem. We have lost so many. Some have come back but others have not. That will probably be the biggest struggle we will have over the next few months and years in the context of ensuring that we can get the supply up and running.

The Minister and the Department are doing their utmost to ensure that they have opened up sites. This is another initiative. We have seen the initiative regarding bringing large planning permissions straight to An Bord Pleanála, which indicates that large master plan sites can get through the process faster, so there are major initiatives in the Rebuilding Ireland strategy which must be welcomed. I am confident that it will deliver.

My one worry is the staffing element. Based on what I am hearing, my great fear is that the number of qualified tradesmen - the men we need to deliver these plans we are making today - is limited. We must do something to ensure we have the potential to deliver the plans we are making.