Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I offer my sincere sympathies to Annita, Emer and the Currie family on the death of a statesman. I want to raise the construction sector. It is an area, thankfully, that is rebounding strongly following lockdown with business having increased in each of the past seven months. The sector seems poised for further growth and with the new sectoral employment order likely to be implemented - I attended a joint committee on this earlier - that is very welcome. However, there are issues facing the sector in regard to recruitment, apprenticeships and, in particular, the soaring costs of construction materials, which is having a significant impact on the cost of housing, especially in my own city of Galway. This is an area of great concern. Price inflation in the construction sector hit a record last month largely due to supply chain issues and Brexit. To give an example, a couple contacted me recently who initially agreed to purchase a property for €450,000 but due to significant costs, the price increased to €525,000 for first-time buyers, which was to their detriment. They are unable to proceed now, naturally, as the price has gone up by €75,000 but they have also lost the €30,000 help-to-buy grant. This issue needs to be addressed. The costs are being passed on in all cases. Whether building homes or infrastructure, this is a significant issue facing all our people. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the House to have a discussion and find a solution to the matter.