Anthony Lawlor (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Leas-Chathaoirleach is right. We are bringing forward a proposed constitutional amendment in respect of marriage breakdown and divorce laws. There are people out there who cannot afford to wait for four years before they apply for a Rebuilding Ireland home loan. The Minister explained to me before that people are entitled to access the scheme if they are divorced and have already bought a house between them as a couple under the first-time buyers scheme. As we are going to bring in changes in the divorce laws, and hopefully the proposed constitutional amendment will be passed, perhaps that would make it possible for us to look at the time span. Perhaps some sort of a legal agreement may be drawn up or some kind of legal covenant supplied to prove that two people are separated.

I would love to see more modular and timber houses around the country. There seems to be something within the planning authorities that goes against the building of timber houses. They look very well in rural areas in particular. Perhaps we could do something on that. On the issue of town centre developments, I know the Minister has made allowances for apartment size and densities. I refer now to heights in small towns. Many town centres have listed buildings and sometimes local authorities do not like the listed building being overlooked by new developments. I think that can be done tastefully as well.

There is a problem in Kildare at the moment. It concerns the interpretation of the national planning framework, and in particular guideline No. 19. This stems from a refusal granted by An Bord Pleanála in which there was reference to national planning framework guideline No. 19. The local authorities have now taken that as gospel. I would like the Minister to give us his interpretation that so we can get clarity on that issue. Perhaps there could also be some instructions in respect of An Bord Pleanála so that the Minister's interpretation will be the one used by An Bord Pleanála and subsequently by the local authorities.

The Minister has a difficult job. People have to understand that. We require 25,000 houses every year just to keep pace with what is needed. Last year, as Senator Coffey mentioned, we built 19,000 houses. We are starting from a standing start. We have a deficit of about 118,000 houses that we need to build just to cater for the need out there at the moment. The Minister has a major job of work ahead of him. As I said, there are many good schemes out there to incentivise people to build houses themselves.