Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There was a lot of information in the Minister of State's speech. I welcome the opportunity to speak on housing today. While I welcome the news that finally, after I have been fighting for it from the start, Carlow has been designated a rent pressure zone. However, it is not good news that rents in Carlow have reached such dizzy heights that it qualifies to be placed on the rent pressure zone list. While it is widely known that the Government has more leaks than a colander, the market sensitive information about these new classifications was leaked before the official announcement.

It is not good news that there are now 42 rent pressure zones in Ireland. This is not working and this Government is not being radical enough to ensure rent affordability. We need more radical thinking and that is something quite a few people agree with me on. Every three months, a report is issued on the areas that qualify to be added to the list of rent pressure zones.A few months ago, Graiguecullen qualified as a rent pressure zone but Carlow did not. Now Carlow has qualified, along with Graiguecullen, but Bagenalstown and Tullow do not qualify. It cannot work because neighbouring towns do not meet the criteria. The Minister of State needs to address this. If Carlow qualifies then neighbouring towns such as Tullow and Bagenalstown should also meet the criteria.

I have repeatedly raised the issue that the threshold to qualify for social housing is far too low. In Carlow, the threshold to qualify for the housing list is €27,500. A review was to be done eight years ago. The Department has gone to and fro to tell me it is working on it. After eight years, when will the review take place to change the threshold for the local authority? Of the 31 local authorities, Carlow has one of the lowest thresholds. The threshold in the neighbouring county of Kilkenny is more than €30,000 as is the case in Kildare and Wicklow. People are failing to qualify for the housing list and they are struggling.

I want to raise the very controversial issue of property tax. In recent weeks, local authorities throughout Ireland have been voting on property tax. Rural counties left behind on capital funding have had to raise the tax while places such as Dublin have been able to reduce the tax. This all comes down to the funding allocated to local authorities, which is grossly unfair to rural Ireland. I have said before, and I will say it again, that we cannot all live and work in Dublin. We cannot all reach into the pockets of the hard pressed homeowners in rural Ireland for more money because they are unfairly marginalised due to the funding. These people are the reason we have an economic recovery because they are working and already paying taxes. They do not feel they get value for money from the State and this is a problem. Will the Minister of State answer this? The Minister, Deputy Murphy, is going to Carlow tomorrow. I have asked to meet him because Carlow's capital funding is so low it is unreal. It is unfair. The Minister of State gave a very good brief on Rebuilding Ireland but 80% of it was about Dublin. This is unacceptable.

It is no secret that we are in the worst of times. We have chaos and uncertainty looming next month with Brexit. Our young people are on the streets. At this stage, everyone is taking to the streets. Fine Gael has overseen a fall in home ownership to the lowest level in half a century. With rents at eye-watering levels a whole generation cannot save to own their home. New rent pressure zones will not stop this, especially in the way they are being announced. We now have more vulnerable households at risk of homelessness than ever and there are those in hidden homelessness, living in overcrowded situations and sharing bedrooms. So many people are still trying to avoid not being on the streets. I cannot see a massive change.

This morning, we had a meeting about the future of affordable housing bodies. Fine Gael scrapped affordable units and shared ownership in 2012 and only reintroduced them in the budget for 2019 after we put pressure. We are now in a situation when there may very well come a day when we run out of money to build social and affordable housing. Everyone is flagging this. This morning, we spoke about approved housing bodies, local authority housing and building housing. There is an issue when it comes to funding and the Minister is aware of this.

The followers of the woman who runs the Instagram page cheapIrishhouses have quadrupled in a short space of time because everyone is looking for a home they can afford. Many of the houses are in less populated counties. Some need refurbishment and others more serious renovation. There is an appetite in Ireland for people to own their own homes but people cannot afford to do so because they cannot get the credit or money is not available. I have long been a champion of allowing credit unions to facilitate small mortgages, which the banks do not seem to be in the business of giving. We need to actively support home ownership by emphasising affordable homes, enabling the purchase of homes and, while we do so, ensuring that we enable local authorities and approved housing bodies to build social housing. We might look at these cheap Irish houses and derelict houses not appearing on the vacant property database and, perhaps, ways to incentivise buying second-hand homes. Judging by this woman's page, there are a whole lot of them out there. It is unreal. The Minister of State should have a look at it.

The State should play a greater role in supporting home ownership through affordable homes, help with deposits, shared ownership schemes and a reformed mortgage market. We need solutions to the problems of the decline in home ownership. Fianna Fáil has shown its commitment to finding meaningful solutions through our role in the confidence and supply agreement and not shirking from leading criticism of the Government where it is at fault. We are certainly kept out of the loop when it comes to leaks. Even the Department is kept out of the loop. Home ownership is slipping away from an entire generation as house prices have increased by 84% while wages have only increased by 10% since 2012. Our 68% home ownership rate is the lowest since 1971 and is now behind the EU average. People are using social media to find ways to own a home. People are crossing the street to rent in a rent pressure zone, putting more pressure on the supply. Thousands are on housing lists throughout the country. We need to reshape all the announcements into positive action.

As I have told the Minister of State on several occasions, I firmly believe that local authorities building houses on their own land is crucial. Will the Minister of State clarify the position on mortgages? He said there is money for local authority mortgages. I have received various answers on what the Minister of State has said today. I represent a lot of people-----