I raise today the Government's policy on demountable homes and rural cottages to help people in rural Ireland.

A burning issue.

Demountable homes have been vital where an old house fell into disrepair or became uninhabitable for those aged 50 and 60 and above and who, in no circumstance, would or could leave their own place. They want to stay in the places they were born and reared. All these people would provide a site for a demountable home. Councillor Johnny Healy-Rae said at last Monday's meeting of Kerry County Council that these people will only leave their home places in a hearse. That is a fact. These units have always provided comfort, a bit of heat, security, and safety from the elements and vermin and they still can. As to rural cottages, only three have been built in Kerry in the last nine years. From 2016 to 2021, ten are to be built. However, there are 35 to 40 more people on the waiting list for these rural cottages. These people will provide a site of their own. They want to live near their parents and their family and to work on their farms but the Department has agreed to fund only ten of these up to 2021. Do we have any funding for housing? If the Government does not, I ask the Taoiseach to spell that out. We would all understand.

Clearly, these people are providing almost half the cost of housing themselves. They are providing the site. In 2015, the Government announced €62.5 million for housing in Kerry. It never told us when it would be spent by. Will it last until 2030?

Rural cottages have been an integral part of rural Ireland since the foundation of the State, but in particular since the 1960s. Is this aligned with the famous Project Ireland 2040 where planning permission will only be granted in rural areas if the development does not detract from the greater urban areas? For instance, Kerry County Council granted permission to a person to build a house on his own place, being a favoured nephew, and it was appealed to An Bord Pleanála by one of these serial objectors. An Bord Pleanála came back and said that, at 6 km, where he was proposing to build his house was too far away to go to his place of work. That is a fact.

These rural cottages almost always end up costing tenants, as they have almost always bought them because they are on their own land and they do not like to see anyone else coming into their own land. It is only a loan, as the houses have been built to standard, and when the tenants have got on their feet, they have bought them out.

Is the Government trying to move all the people into Dublin or into the urban areas? That is what I am asking.

I am afraid I cannot comment in great detail about the precise situation in the Deputy's county as I am not fully briefed on it. The Deputy might elaborate on demountable homes. It is not a term I am familiar with, but perhaps one with which I should be.

In terms of the broader picture, across Ireland 18,000 homes have commenced construction in the past year. That is a significant increase. We had a period of seven years during which almost no new homes were built in Ireland because the Government could not afford to build social housing and because the banks and construction sector were on the floor. We are very much playing catch-up. We have much to catch up on, but with 18,000 new homes having commenced construction in the past year, we are now building more new homes in Ireland than at any point in seven years. We need to ramp that up to 25,000 next year and 35,000 the following year.

Last year, we added 7,000 new homes to our social housing stock through different mechanisms, including direct build, approved housing bodies, leases and voids, and we will add almost another 8,000 this year. We are ramping that up again and increasing the supply of social housing.

The Deputy mentioned funding. Specifically, €6 billion is being provided for investment in housing between now and 2021. That is an enormous investment in housing between now and 2021. It will deliver 110,000 extra social housing units for people to live in between now and 2021. That is a huge uplift in investment.

Separately, as the Deputy will be aware, under Project Ireland 2040 we have set out a plan for the nation. It is a plan for a country with 1 million more people living here by 2040, with most of that growth happening outside of Dublin, the other cities growing twice as fast as Dublin and an extra 200,000 people living in rural Ireland. Indeed tomorrow, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Ring, will announce further details of the €1 billion rural regeneration fund which will be deployed over the next decade.

It is clear the Taoiseach has no understanding of what I am talking about. At last Monday's meeting, Councillor Johnny Healy-Rae got a reply that the local authority must clearly demonstrate that the proposed demountable unit is required on foot of a genuine emergency - either a fire or a flood. I must point out to the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government that there are many people who reach the age of 60, or maybe even older, whose house has fallen into disrepair. They will not leave the place where they were born and reared. All they are asking for is a demountable home to placed on a site, and even connected to their own septic tank. It is very clear. I am asking the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to examine this. It is not fair to deny these people who want the right to stay where they were born and reared. It is likewise in the case of the rural cottages.

To think that 35 applicants have to wait five more years to be housed, if they will be at all, in the rural place where they want to live on their farms and close to their parents. The Government wants to move them all into the large urban areas. I cannot understand why. These people have their own water and septic tanks and they are burdening no one but the Government cannot see as far as its nose.

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae-----

This is the place they want to be and-----

I call the Taoiseach to respond.

-----it will get back the funding-----

The Deputy does not have control.

-----when they get on their feet and they are able to buy out the house again.

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae must respect-----

I know a Leas-Cheann Comhairle but-----

The Deputy does not know.

This is a very serious matter for the people who are-----

That may well be but I have a serious job-----

-----in these circumstances applying and looking for a demountable home.

I call the Taoiseach.

I am informed by one of my colleagues that demountable homes are prefabricated homes, which is what they are called in Fingal and they can be constructed on site. I am told it is an option for local authorities. Ultimately it is for local authorities to come forward with those proposals. A sum of €6 billion is allocated in Project Ireland 2040 for investment in social housing over the next ten years. Investment in social housing is ramping up dramatically. To give the Deputy a rough idea of the figures, there were 657 direct builds. That increased to 2,434 last year. There were 1,250 acquisitions last year. There were 600 leases last year with more ambitious targets again for this year. There is a lot of money being invested in social housing, with €6 billion set aside for the next ten years. It is up to local authorities to come forward with proposals to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. If Kerry County Council wants to come forward with proposals for demountable homes or prefabricated dwellings, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, and his Department will certainly consider them.

The Government would consider them in Dublin but not in rural County Kerry.

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae knows the rules, please.

I am very sorry.

It is a bit late now. We move on to the Order of Business. I call Deputy Bailey.