Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming here. This is the first time the Minister of State has been in the Chamber when I have been here.I congratulate the Minister of State on his new portfolio. He is my constituency colleague in Limerick.

I am delighted that we are discussing the important issue of housing. I compliment the Government on the work it has done to date in working with co-operative organisations and housing associations and on the number of social and affordable houses that have been delivered. There are not enough affordable houses. In my area of Limerick, a number of houses were advertised recently, approximately 25 in Castletroy and another small number in Newcastle West, but it is not enough for the combined area of Limerick. Are there plans for more affordable homes in that area? Some people tell me they cannot afford to pay the full amount but many of them would qualify for affordable homes. There is much more demand for that.

Is there any hope of expanding Croí Cónaithe to living-over-the-shop schemes as there are many vacant units in our towns and cities? There might be a convenience store or other commercial unit on the ground floor and in many towns and cities there are two and three floors above that with no one living in them. If we could consider extending Croí Cónaithe to that type of building, it would go a long way. It would also bring people back to live in our towns and cities.

I understand a review of housing density guidelines is ongoing. Will the Minister of State give an update on that? Will proposals or a Bill be brought forward on the matter? I know the Minister of State is familiar with the Land Development Agency. I have attended many meetings and know it is putting together a plan in conjunction with the Limerick City Council regeneration agency, but it is disappointing that not one brick has yet been laid. Does the Minister of State have a timeframe for when they will start to progress? There are many vacant and brownfield sites. Planning permission has to be sought and so on, which means it will take time. Are there any proposals for or updates on when they will start building?

I welcome that many people have been helped under the first-time buyers and rent-to-buy schemes. Many people have availed of the €30,000 grant. While there have been almost 3,400 registrations, only approximately 1,500 people have qualified so far. Does the Minister of State have any indication of how many more people will qualify for that scheme? Perhaps he will not have the answer today. Almost 4,000 people have registered.

Overall, I compliment the Government on being ahead of schedule. It is planned that numbers for the delivery of social housing will be up. However, there are a number of derelict houses in our towns and villages. I was first elected in 1999 and I am ashamed to say that some houses that were vacant in 1999 are still vacant. Is it because the local authorities are slow to apply for the funding or are there perhaps legal issues surrounding those houses? The Government needs to look more closely at putting the local authorities under pressure to deliver those vacant houses.