Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, back to the House and thank him for giving us an update from his perspective on where we are at with regard to the Rebuilding Ireland plan. I believe it is important that we continue to have this engagement at policy level, from the Oireachtas right down to the local authorities, NGOs and every other stakeholder that can assist us in meeting the continuing challenge of the demand for housing, for the young people who are on housing lists around this country. There are many young people in the Gallery here today to listen to this debate about housing. It is about the future of Ireland. It is about the future of citizens of this country and how they can acquire a house and a roof over their heads. It is important that the Minister continues in this engagement and I welcome it.

It is disappointing to hear Senator Murnane O'Connor in her statement give no recognition to what is being done to address what was a property and an economic crash in this country. What we want here are solutions and we need to recognise them. We need to identify any barriers. The Minister asked us openly to identify the barriers and to come to him with them. From the Opposition's point of view, and I do not want to create a row, it seems there is little understanding of what it took to rebuild Ireland's economy after the economic crash of the past number of years. This was a crash that caused deep fundamental damage, not only to the credit institutions but to the whole construction sector and the housing and property markets as well.

The following are some of the barriers I see, to offer the Minister some solutions. If we are to meet the ambitious objectives of building so many houses in this country which we have to do, we must address the skills shortages in the trades. If one talks to the construction sector, with which the Minister is engaged, it will say that it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit the craftsmen and women to build the houses that we so badly need. Across Government, we will need more initiatives to engage with the construction sector, with schools and colleges and, indeed, with the parents and young people of Ireland to show them that there is a sustainable future in crafts and trades in this country. I am a tradesman. I qualified as an electrician many years ago. Parents and young people are scared out of their wits to get involved in the construction sector due to the damage, not only physical but psychological, that has been done. I call on those in schools and colleges around the country to reconsider the trades because there are sustainable jobs providing we sustain the construction sector and we do not go back to the mistakes of the past where there was a boom-bust cycle. We can sustain a reasonable number of house builds per annum that will sustain good jobs and the crafts into the future. I put that on the record because some of it is being lost in the debate.

I recognise that, in 2018, over 19,000 units were delivered in both the public and private sectors around the country. I also recognise that over €2.4 billion has been committed by the Government for housing in 2019. That is a substantial budgetary commitment to underpin the Rebuilding Ireland plan and strategy. As I said, we now need to focus on delivery.

Another barrier I want to bring to the Minister's attention is one I identified in my own constituency in Waterford. Tramore in County Waterford is the second largest urban area in my county. There is a high demand for housing in that area and there are adequately zoned lands. The local authority is positively engaging with builders to get building on those lands. There is a big problem with mains water supply and Irish Water. New water infrastructure is required to supply the houses on these lands. A decision was taken recently by the regulator, who is responsible for setting the policy of connections to water, whereby the first developer that applies for connection to its housing scheme must pay the full cost of the water connection, which is making the whole scheme unviable. That would not be so bad if it was treated in the same way as electricity is treated where if future builders connect to that same supply, the first builder will be reimbursed for its investment towards the mains infrastructure.

The problem I have identified is that the regulator has now stated that the first builder pays the full costs, subsequent builders can connect to that scheme and the first builder gets no reimbursement. This is causing a blockage and a barrier. It is causing a stalemate where all builders now are standing back and the houses are not being built. This is a real practical problem that has emerged in Tramore in County Waterford. It is something that has to be addressed. I would ask the Minister to use his office to bring the stakeholders together. These would include the Department officials, the regulator's officials, maybe representatives from the local authority and representatives from the construction sector. This is a problem that has emerged in Waterford and no doubt it will emerge somewhere else. The regulator which, I acknowledge, is an independent quasi-judicial officer, is inconsistent. As a public representative and somebody who worked in utilities for over 20 years with the ESB, water is being treated differently to other utilities. It is becoming a cost barrier to housing schemes being built, not only in Tramore but in other areas where one will see further blockages as well. It is something the Minister needs to take up and resolve so that we can get these builders onto the sites and get the houses delivered for the people who require them so badly.

The Minister identified the proposals and initiatives that he has implemented to combat homelessness and, especially in this cold weather spell, the further initiatives to protect those who find themselves in need of emergency accommodation. I commend that work. I also commend the many volunteers in organisations, and the NGOs, that work with the local authorities to assist people in finding homes. It is a fundamental requirement for all of us to help people get a roof over their head.

I wish the Minister well in his continued efforts to tackle this challenge. The statistics are there to be seen. As I stated, in 2018, there were 19,000 units built. We need to increase that. Substantial funding has now been put in place. The numbers of planning permissions around the country for schemes and housing are way up on those of the past number of years. Rebuilding Ireland is working and we must stick to the task.We must identify the barriers and find the solutions. It is all about putting our shoulders to the wheel, whether we are policymakers, local authorities, regulators or the construction sector. Anybody who can influence the building of more houses must put their shoulder to the wheel. It is in the interests of all of us. It is a societal challenge and is one we all must face in order that we can meet the needs of our citizens. I offer the Minister my continued support for his efforts. He is making headway, he is getting there and the figures show that. We need to continue that work.