Senator Gavan makes quite a lot of good, commonsense points in this House but the way he is looking at this scheme is flawed. Second-hand house prices are rising more dramatically than new house prices. This scheme tries to put extra stock into circulation. There have been huge complications in Dublin where some funds have bought large numbers of units. Perhaps the Minister of State can clarify this but as far as I am aware these funds cannot claim the first-time buyer's grant on these properties as well. These two…

They are not benefiting from this scheme.

I have to disagree with Senator Higgins. The fundamental point we were talking about and which this section speaks to is the first-time buyers' grant which, if memory serves me correctly, is up to €30,000. In rural Ireland if that was not there, houses would not be built at present. That is a fact. I have gone through pricing models and can stand over that and can have that argument with anybody and I would be right on it. If that grant was not available, houses would not be built in rural Ireland. It might be slig…

While this is a noble and good idea, unfortunately I do not know how practical it would be, as I am sure the Minister of State will lead us to understand. Wealth is highly mobile nowadays, which is why gold has doubled its value in the past three years and this has fed into a significant increase in the value in minerals, gold and stocks of that sort this year in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. For all of these people, their wealth is highly mobile and is all over the world; not just in Ireland. It is okay to sa…

I welcome the Minister of State and I wish her continued success in her portfolio. I urge her to continue all of the good work she is going in that regard. This matter relates to maternity leave for county councillors. I raised this matter in the previous Seanad. If my memory is correct, Fianna Fáil backed a motion on this issue in a previous Seanad. It is an issue that has been kicked around for some time and it came to light again recently in regard to a Minister. A lot can be said about politicians. The people t…

The Minister of State could do without reading the rest of it.

To be fair, we have a very proactive Minister of State with responsibility for local government and he has some cutting-edge legislation on councillors coming very soon, I hope. We are all very hopeful. This needs to be addressed, and the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, has shown he has the ability to deal with it. I ask him to be brave and grasp this nettle and deal with the matter because somebody has to deal with it. We have only ourselves to blame and we should hang our heads in shame as politicians with this …

I appreciate the Minister of State coming here today. It has been quite a while since we met in County Kilkenny. I congratulate him on his elevation to this great office. The Project Ireland 2040 plan goes a long way back and much work has been done on it. Its inception was to iron out some of the problems that may have arisen in the previous plan. It is not just from a development point of view but I fundamentally believe there are serious cracks in this plan, which will unfold in an extreme manner over the next y…

Over the last number of years, we built between 15,000 and 18,000 houses. We will have Covid-19 this year and it will be something similar.

I thank the Acting Chairman. I am finished now. We will not hit the target. Unless we look at villages and town such as these and ease up in settled areas, there will be a serious problem and it will come back to haunt all of us. It is evident in the housing market already.

I thank the Minister of State. It was a comprehensive answer but there is a problem, which I can tell him as a fact and he can take it out and look at it. In Westmeath, the zoning happening is mainly in Athlone and Mullingar. In all the regional towns, any little projects like that which could be looked at have not been considered this year. The councillors had to use their practicality and went against better advice, which will now be sent to the regulator because they were not part of the development plan drawn u…

The national planning framework should be tweaked more towards those smaller towns and villages. They are not part of it. They are numbered and categorised but they really are the orphans in this process. I refer to towns such as Castlepollard and Kinnegad. They should get more priority. We should look at this. It is within the remit of the Minister of State.

Before the Minister winds up, I will compliment him on all the good work he has done in this Department. He has shown great initiative. He has been bounced around by bad luck, as has everyone else, as a result of the pandemic. It certainly has not helped the Minister to fulfil some of his expectations but I know he is working hard to maximise output in the housing industry. This legislation is forward-thinking, as are the bits and pieces that Senator Currie just mentioned on which the Minister has given promises. I…

I welcome the Minister here today. I certainly welcome the promised review. It is imperative that the committee is given a free path to make its own findings and recommendations. As the Minister mentioned, the composition of the committee is most important. As the Minister stated, two reviews were held in 1962 and 1965. In the fullness of time the narrative and perspective can change. I commend several local authorities, including my own one, Westmeath County Council, under the stewardship of the cathaoirleach, Ken…

I echo the sentiments of Senators Byrne and Dooley. I have discussed with the Deputy Leader herself the matter of shooting since the season has come in on 1 November and I acknowledge she will raise it with the relevant Minister. I appreciate that. She indicated that to me earlier. As for Senator Burke's comments and the WHO stance on Taiwan, and other Senators have echoed those thoughts, I see it as very strange in our modern world that the WHO is still taking such a stance on Taiwan, particularly as it is to the …

I want to raise an important matter regarding the conveyancing of property in Ireland, and to highlight the length of time it currently takes to complete a property sale. I am aware that Members and the House have discussed different technical issues in this area on a number of occasions. A new initiative has been spearheaded by the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers, IPAV. It represents qualified licensed auctioneers, valuers and estate agents, who aim to radically reduce the length of time it takes…

I agree with Senator McGahon, who raised an issue on the soldiers who fought at Jadotville. It is a matter I have raised in the House on several occasions. It would be apt if the Minister came to the House to discuss this issue. A lot of work has been done on it and progress has been very slow. Some of the people who were at the battle in Katanga have passed away recently. The second issue was brought to my attention by a couple of secondary school teachers. Some pupils seem to consider it a badge of honour if they…

I would like to welcome a fellow Mullingar man to the House. I have known the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, for a long time. I served with him on Mullingar town council before the great decision to dissolve the town councils was taken. I also served with him on Westmeath County Council. I have no doubt that he will excel in his new position as Minister of State. We are delighted to have two new Ministers of State in Mullingar, Deputies Peter Burke and Troy. It has certainly been a great addition to Westmea…

Senator Higgins has already intervened and I am sure we are happy with her statement.

I am sure the Minister of State will give us the figures. My experience and the experience of the people I talk to throughout the country is that if a case can be made for the purchase of a particular house by a council, the purchase happens. I have seen this personally; I have been involved. I ask the Minister of State to clarify the position. There are a couple of other points. I have listened intently. Based on some of the opinions that have been expressed, Senators must have been reading a different Bill than t…