Danny Healy-Rae: Warns on planning rules, VAT and home losses
Danny Healy-Rae spoke about acute housing pressures in Kerry, criticising planning restrictions, the VAT on building materials and the actions of banks and receivers. He urged the minister and the Department of Housing to take concrete steps to make building affordable, protect local planning applicants and assist young couples facing mortgage distress.
Planning and 'urban generated pressure'
Healy-Rae said many locals in Kerry who would build their own homes are being denied planning permission because of strict "urban generated pressure" rules. He argued the policy is preventing locals from building close to their families or on sites they already have access to, and that non-farmers or those who are not "sons or daughters" are being unfairly refused.
Banks, receivers and lost homes
He criticised the transfer of loans to voucher funds and the actions of receivers who, he said, have sold homes and farms without proper legal oversight. Healy-Rae proposed that the Department of Housing should consider stepping in to pay off mortgages and allow struggling families to rent back their homes until they recover.
Costs, VAT and affordability
He highlighted high building costs and called for action on VAT for building materials, noting that in England there is no VAT on materials. He argued reducing or removing VAT would make building more affordable for people with good jobs who still cannot afford to build or buy in Kerry.
Young people emigrating and social impact
Healy-Rae warned of losing energetic young professionals who feel they cannot afford to stay, recounting a group of 17 people planning to emigrate to Australia because of housing costs. He said such departures are a serious loss of talent and urged urgent, practical measures rather than continued debate.
Opposition to forced rental obligations and use of vacant houses
He strongly opposed recent legislation to compel owners to rent out properties for six years, framing ownership and control of one’s property as a constitutional and democratic right. He suggested alternative approaches to bring vacant houses into use rather than forcing owners, and stressed the need to prevent foreign investors from buying up family homes.
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Thank you very much. I'm glad to get the opportunity. I didn't think I was coming up as soon. Yeah, it's very tough out there for young couples now who are trying to hold on to their home, and after trying to purchase a home, are trying to build a home, and the trouble is in Kerry about building homes. There's a lot of people in Kerry who would build their own home if they could get planning permission. But they can't because of these rules of strict urban generated pressure, and it's where locals are being denied planning permission without ever coming out from town. We thought the urban generated pressure was to stop people from coming out from urban areas to the rural areas, but it's not alone doing that, but it's stopping locals of getting planning permission on a site that maybe they could get from their father or mother, and be close to home, or from a neighbour, but because they're not farmers, sons or daughters, they won't be allowed, and it's very sad. And what I've been very angry about and very upset about going back now for 10 years or more is where the banks transferred their loans to voucher funds, and then receivers come, and whether it is a farm or a house, they have done their best in many cases, and have succeeded in many cases, selling homes and property belong to the rightful owners who run into me to bother. And I always thought it would be a great idea if the Department of Housing or whoever, if some couple got into trouble, that they'd pay off the mortgage or whatever it is, and let the young couple or the people in trouble rent back the house for a while until they get on their feet again. But that's not happening. Receivers just don't mind, and in many cases, they didn't even get court orders to allow them to sell the places. They just went down and sold them, and that happened, and I don't think that was ever right. And we know today, you know, in fact, last Christmas, one of the nights before Christmas, a gang of youngsters came in. I call them youngsters, there was 28 to 33 of that, where there were 17 of them. And they all had good professional jobs, and because they felt they couldn't afford a house here or build a house in Ireland, they were all leaving their jobs behind, and they were going off to Australia, all of them, together after Christmas, to different paths. They had their boyfriends with them, they had their girlfriends with them, there were 17 in total in that group. And I think it's just terrible. We're losing very bright people, very energetic people. And it galls me when I hear so much talk about affordable homes. There's no home affordable if we don't do something about the VAT and the cost of them. And I'm sorry, Minister, we need to do something like that. In England, there's no VAT on building materials. And I can't understand why we can't either reduce the VAT or get rid of it altogether to make building materials affordable. And in Kerry, it would mean an awful lot to people if they could get planning permission. Because we're doing very good, actually, with social housing, with the people that want to build a house themselves. They're coming up against all that. They can't get planning, and they can't afford the house, even though that they have good jobs. Maybe you'd have a couple of guards and a teacher. They can't actually afford the houses, Minister. And I can understand how they're running into trouble. And it would hurt me very much as well if I thought that some of these foreign investors were actually buying up those type of homes. And we must do all the best to ensure that that doesn't happen. And we're here invariably every night, every day, talking about housing. We need to. I think the time for talking has stopped, or has to stop. And that we'll have to do something constructive to ensure I was very... I didn't agree with the bill last week to make people rent out their houses for six years. I do believe that people, if you own a house or buy a house, or are trying to pay back for a house or whatever, it is your constitutional right, your democratic right to do whatever you like with that house. That's how I feel about it, and nothing will ever change me from that. I've always felt that if it is your place, your farm or whatever, nobody has a right to go through it without your say-so. And the same way with a house, a second home or whatever it is, that will rent you out, you shouldn't be forced. And there are other ways. We have so many vacant houses that we could surely entice the house owners to rent them by some way or other. And then also to ensure that we don't lose, we need to ensure that we don't lose any more of our people. And the Department of Housing should step in if there's a house, if a young couple are in trouble and they can't hold on to the house. Often, a young fella gets injured, gets hurt. Am I over time? Sorry. Sorry. Deputy Ward. Deputy Ward. Thank you.
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