Niall Blaney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With the permission of the Cathaoirleach and the Minister, I will move briefly to another topic. I congratulate the FAI on its historic annual general meeting last night and on moving in line with the memorandum of understanding. I particularly congratulate the FAI on its appointment of Packie Bonner, a great Donegal man and a great ambassador for this country. I did not get the opportunity to come in this morning on the Order of Business. The FAI has righted a wrong. I believe it is on the right path. It has a few more people to look after and I hope it does so. I thank the Cathaoirleach for the space to say that.

I could not start a speech on the topic of housing without referring to the mica redress scheme in Donegal. This issue has also affected Mayo. I thank the Minister for meeting the deputation last Thursday. I believe all the issues are now before him. With the best will in the world, I ask him to look at these issues as expeditiously as he can. I know he is keeping in close contact with the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. I thank both Ministers for setting up last week's meeting. This issue is really undermining family life for an awful lot of people in Donegal. I look forward to the Minister looking at and addressing those issues. Some say the current scheme is broken. It absolutely is not but there are some fixes needed to make it more adaptable, to make the 90% more achievable and to provide 100% redress, if available.

I congratulate the Minister on his ability to evolve with regard to the issue of housing. Housing was one of the most dominant issues in the last election. It is one of the cornerstones of the programme for Government, a Government in which three parties are involved. This Bill is a means to achieve the end of alleviating the immense pressure felt by renters and home buyers. It is not the silver bullet the Opposition keeps pretending exists. The issues affecting housing are complex and broad in scope.Housing in this country requires a multipronged approach. This Bill does that. The provisions in the Bill target buyers and renters to make housing more affordable. The Minister has come under a great deal of opposition in the last while. To those opposing him, I say, "Bring it on lads", but they have only a short number of months to do so. The approach of the Minister and the Government to housing will become clear in 12 to 24 months. We are determined to undo the difficulties such that housing will be achievable and affordable, and families and individuals across the country can aspire to own their own homes. We support the Minister's efforts.

It has been said by parties and commentators on all sides of this issue that supply is the fundamental issue. Through this Bill, local authorities will be incentivised to build in local areas and to deliver housing for purchase. That is key. The Bill provides that a variety of houses be built to support the requirements of applicants. This is a short addition to the legislation, but one that must be commended as we frequently hear of people not being able to find accommodation that suits their needs. Fianna Fáil has a long history of social housing provision. This Bill maintains that commitment, while making provision for affordable housing to be provided for those who want it. The shared equity scheme is a great step forward on behalf of the State. It supports the purchase of housing rather than leaving that to the free market.

The introduction of price caps on properties is a radical measure in response to the housing crisis. The complexity and depth of the housing crisis in Ireland means housing must be supplied by both Government and private investors. There is no escaping that fact. Capping the cost of State provided homes is a great step forward. This Bill is an overwhelmingly positive start in getting us back on track in housing provision, but more work needs to be done. We put our full weight and support behind the Minister in doing that.