I welcome the motion and fully support it. I speak from personal experience. I am from Arranmore Island in County Donegal, with family roots in Loch an Iúir. I know the realities facing other Donegal islands like Tory and Inishbofin. They are living communities. Housing is not just about houses; it is about units and putting down roots. The value of a house needs to be considered in terms of what it brings to a community. It is about whether schools survive, services remain or Irish remains a language for daily life. Housing challenges in the Gaeltacht islands are often very much misunderstood. It is not just about speculation or luxury developments; it is about viability. In many cases, building a home costs more than a house will ever be valued at. That is a reality. Homes in rural and Gaeltacht areas are empty and we cannot help people to remain in their communities due to cost. There is a paradox in terms of vacancies and dereliction. Many homes lie empty and are unsafe, including defective concrete homes that have been lost to the local housing stock, which families cannot avail of. It is not a lifestyle choice; rather, it is a structural failure. When homes are lost in this way, families leave, schools decline and the social fabric weakens. There is a solution, namely a State-led approach whereby it buys back vacant or derelict homes and manage their renovation rather than expecting families to find tens of thousands of euro upfront or act as project managers. We have seen the difficulties ordinary people have to navigate with the defective concrete scheme model. A State-led approach would also allow investment to be targeted locally. Local builders and apprentices can be employed, supporting skills on islands like Arranmore and Tory and villages like Loch an Iúir, Falcarragh and Magheroarty. Such housing support structures strengthen the community, economy and language rather than simply funding a house in isolation. Serviced sites would be a way forward. There are buyers for houses on islands and in Gaeltacht communities and it is not often that there is a willingness to build. If there is land that is serviced and ready to go, that would change things. Local authorities should be supported in acquiring and fully servicing small clustered sites delivered at cost specifically for local need. It would be like the old 1990s SI model we used to have. Where viability gaps exist, the State should step in with targeted supports in Gaeltacht areas to address the difference between the build cost and market value. Families cannot be expected to absorb these costs if we want them to stay and raise their children in these areas. Housing policy in the Gaeltacht is also language and community policy. In Gaeltacht areas, this is not a theory but a way of life. Viable enrolment numbers and housing numbers have been going down because people simply cannot afford to stay. If we are serious about sustaining these communities, housing policy must reflect the reality and we need practical State-supported housing rooted in local life.

Sentiment score: 0.06