Madam, - It was interesting to see Minister of State Noel Ahern taking such a socialist view of housing recently (August 31st). With the prospect of a vacancy in the Cuban leadership he may very well become headhunted as the man to carry on the revolution. In the meantime it would be gratifying to see some real action in relation to the regulation of the housing market. The enormous task that acquiring a house has now become, the lack of value for money when you do acquire a house (ie, size of garden and house etc) and the degree to which speculators have distorted the market are the key indicators of the failure of the Government's housing policies during their time presiding over this economic Camelot which we have enjoyed. The recent report on disposable income figures shows Co Kerry, for example, continuing its descent down the rankings where it now has the second-lowest disposable income in the country but it also paradoxically has one of the highest rates of housing output. This speculator-led boom is fuelling employment within the county in construction which is now becoming the new farming, with estimates of up to 18 per cent of people employed in construction-related activities. The results are housing developments in areas where population is stagnant or decreasing and which are deserted in the winter, the cost of houses is out of the reach of many and the ability to sustain repayments on modest incomes (€16,087 average disposable) is worrisome. Add to this the over-reliance on a volatile sector such as construction and it does not seem to be a recipe for stable and sustainable development at county or national level into the future.
- Yours, etc, ROBERT CAREY, Oakpark Demsene, Tralee.