The price of a home for young people should be a major issue in the South Tipperary by-election, the Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, said yesterday. He was opening the campaign of the party's candidate, Senator Tom Hayes.
By world standards, Mr Bruton said, Ireland had plenty of space and comparatively few people, and should not have a problem providing homes for them.
Demand for houses, however, was skewed in favour of those with least need. "The biggest demand in the housing market is for large detached houses, in low-density settings, which are profligate in the use of public facilities, and which do least to meet real housing need.
"This unbalanced housing market is one of the most acute symptoms of the increased income inequality in Irish society that has been created by the deliberate tax policies of Bertie Ahern, Charlie McCreevy and Mary Harney," he claimed.
Fine Gael believed the housing crisis could be defused if certain measures were implemented. These included a doubling of the annual output of local authority houses to 9,000 a year and the acquisition of land for housing, compulsorily if necessary, near main public transport routes.
He was speaking to party supporters and journalists in a public house in Cashel owned by the former Tipperary hurler, Mr Pat Fox. Following the launch Mr Bruton and Senator Hayes undertook a six-hour canvassing tour of towns in the constituency, including Golden, New Inn, Cahir, Ardfinnan and Newcastle.
Senator Hayes insisted that pundits who were predicting he would finish last of the four declared candidates had got it wrong. He pointed to a strong track record in securing second- and third-preference votes in election campaigns for South Tipperary County Council and the Seanad.
"I am not in this race simply to represent Fine Gael. I am in this race for one reason only and that is to win the by-election for the Fine Gael party," he said.
Decentralisation and education would be key issues in the campaign, he predicted.
The other three declared candidates are a Fianna Fail councillor, Mr Barry O'Brien, Ms Ellen Ferris of Labour, and an independent councillor, Mr Seamus Healy. Fianna Fail will start its campaign today when the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, visits Clonmel.
