Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to the House. Having been in the House for five years when he was Leader of the Opposition, I know how constructive and engaging he is. I also know how committed he is to reform. I have no doubt that he will want to deliver in the housing brief. Over recent months, he has put his mark on the Department. I am optimistic about the future. The only way to resolve the housing crisis is to get houses built. It is a very simple equation of supply and demand. We will not reach equilibrium until such time as supply meets demand. That is the challenge. Houses must be affordable to people earning middle incomes. That is what we are striving for as a country. That is what we want to deliver for our communities.

There are, however, blockages. The Minister is very much aware of these and has spoken many times about them and about what he is doing to resolve them both in the media and in these Houses. As we move along our journey towards building 30,000 to 40,000 houses a year, further blockages and unintended situations will arise. As they do, we will, as a Government, show flexibility to engage and deal with them. I refer to issues we have not yet imagined. This was proved when the issue of bulk buying arose in Maynooth. I remember being in this House when that measure was introduced. It was introduced in 2013 because nobody was buying houses. There was no incentive to do so. The housing market had to be kick-started. Like many measures, it has served its purpose and now needs to be refined, which it has been.

The affordable housing legislation with which we are dealing this evening is very ambitious but it will do what it says on the front of the Bill. It will create affordable housing. That is what people have been speaking about. It was one of the main issues in the last general election and was one of the main political issues before the pandemic. We in County Clare face a number of challenges. I live in Lahinch in the west coast area of County Clare, as the Minister knows, and in my own immediate area there is a proliferation of holiday homes which are very necessary and which serve a very important purpose. Unfortunately, they are empty for seven or eight months of the year. It is reasonable to levy a tax on vacant second homes. If somebody can afford a second home which they do not rent out at any time of the year, it is reasonable to place a levy on that house above and beyond the property tax.

As the Minister knows, there is also a problem with sewerage and waste water infrastructure in a number of our villages in County Clare. I have spoken to the Minister about this many times. I am thinking of places like Doolin. This village is known worldwide but no houses or developments can be built there because the waste water and sewage system is just not up to standard. Any applications lodged are deemed premature until such time as the infrastructure is upgraded. There are similar situations in Carrigaholt in west Clare, in Cooraclare and in Broadford. I have been to the Custom House with colleagues and we have spoken to the Minister about the challenges. I know he is committed to finding a resolution whereby there can be engagement between Irish Water, the local authorities and his Department with a view to dealing with these small schemes which, if dealt with, would open up a lot of potential development in villages throughout County Clare and throughout the country. I have spoken of four villages in Clare but I could speak of 40. The four I have mentioned are in dire need of an upgrade. I know the Minister has provided extra funding of, I believe, €150 million to Irish Water specifically to target this area.

There is another challenge in many rural towns. I refer to towns that had a number of clothes shops, shoe shops, drapers and other shops, all of which are now closed and which, realistically, will never open as retail units again. We need living accommodation above these shops. We need to be able to change what were retail shops into residential accommodation where people can live. That will, of course, require schemes. I know the Minister is looking at that as well. We could talk all evening but I know time is limited. I wish the Minister every success in the tough job before him. He has our absolute and full support.