Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the issue and make suggestions with a view to the Government tackling the problem in a way which leads to results. More than 100,000 households are on social housing waiting lists nationally. That equates to at least 200,000 citizens, which, notwithstanding the financial difficulties faced by the Government, must be acknowledged to be a crisis which is out of control. I contend vehemently that the Government has failed to put any flesh on the bones of its lofty 2011 housing strategy. Instead, we have had re-heated policy announcements and a failure to launch capital investment or help voluntary housing associations to finance projects. How different was the Minister of State's announcement yesterday from what was announced in the 2014 budget? What difference does the announcement make to a sector which is starved of funding for the disabled, the elderly and housing adaptation grant assistance? In my county, applicants are being told their assessments will take three to five years before they even get to approval stage. Can the Minister of State tell me that yesterday's announcement will make a blind bit of difference to those applicants? How can she account for the fact that in this day and age a housing officer in my county of Offaly, which I have been given the privilege to represent, could say to me recently that it was not possible to deal with the representations I was making on the housing list? He said I could publicise that fact as he has not the resources, staff or mechanisms to deal with the issues.

There has been a vicious combination of harsh social welfare cuts and escalating rents, not only in Dublin but in other parts of the country, which is driving more and more people onto social housing waiting lists. Homelessness levels are increasing as a result. The woefully slow pace of property transfers from NAMA is testament to the failure of Government to prioritise the issue and provide sufficient administrative and logistical support to voluntary housing associations and local authorities. I contend further that the Government's over-reliance on private rented property and the rental accommodation scheme will blow up in its face very shortly. There should be no mistake about the fact that banks will call in the debt relating to many of the investment properties which are in private ownership. When that blows up, God knows what point the waiting list figures will reach.

I will not harp on this morning about the inability and inefficiency of Government in the handling of this issue and the failure over three years in office to bring forward a housing Bill containing concrete proposals - thinking outside the box - to meet the lofty aspirations which were in the strategy it published when it took office. If it had been otherwise, maybe then we could see light at the end of the tunnel and a distinctive mechanism and roadmap to deal with the issues. Instead, I will use my time to make concrete proposals which I expect the Minister of State to note, respond to and include in any housing legislation which is imminent and intended to be before the House in the current session.

I ask that each local authority have a specific task force entrusted with accelerating the transfer of NAMA property units to social housing provision. The current delays have reduced the social dividend of the body and compounded the waiting list problem. The team, based in a local authority housing department, could be charged with identifying units, facilitating housing associations, co-ordinating the legal work on transfers and ensuring follow-through on necessary upgrading and investment. Another example of the deficiencies and inefficiencies of the current approach to delivery is that in Tullamore, a number of units were identified in a housing development which the local authority was interested in acquiring. Notwithstanding that ambition, there has been a failure by the bondholder and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Having agreed a plan to address the unfinished nature of the estate, they have gone to ground on a framework and detailed plan on the use of funds to make the estate habitable, not only for those in residence but also for those seeking housing from the local authority. I remind the Minister of State that her Department is well aware of the issue. I spoke recently to an official in the Department about it specifically.

The Minister of State indicated that a fund has been established. A bond may be available but despite their best efforts in this regard, local authorities have not received an adequate response. I questioned the Minister for Finance on this issue some weeks ago on the basis that he has a role in acquiring bonds for local authorities to be used to finish estates. A departmental official has been charged with responsibility for ensuring this is done. The fault, therefore, lies not with the local authority but with the bondholder, a reputable bank in which the State owns a large stake. As far as I am concerned, the official in the Department who has been tasked with liaising with the bondholder and local authority is not doing the job properly.

A tenant purchase scheme should be established for local authorities and voluntary housing associations, with a view to empowering people to achieve home ownership. The proceeds of sales completed under the scheme should be ring-fenced for future investment in the construction of new housing units.

We can all identify with the issue of vacant homes. Far too many dwellings in the ownership of local authorities are lying idle because they have been starved of funds to address the issue. Under the direction and leadership of the Minister of State, local authorities should allow families on waiting lists to move into and refurbish such homes. The costs of refurbishment should be gradually defrayed by a reduction in rent. This approach would result in more housing units becoming available and would help to tackle waiting lists, while simultaneously reducing upfront costs to local authorities.

Development plans should adhere to a hierarchy of plans to facilitate the construction of homes for sustainable demand, rather than speculative construction. They should play a strong role in the creation of long-term housing policy. Density issues must also be addressed to stimulate greater levels of construction and keep prices affordable for ordinary households. Housing construction should adhere to sustainable planning guidelines. Onerous unit density criteria are having a prohibitive impact on construction levels and stoking up prices to the exclusion of low and middle income earners.

Approximately 50% of income from development levies is spent on water supply. By virtue of the establishment by the Government of Irish Water, water supply will be subject to change under the new water regime. This will give rise to a double charge on home owners if they are required to pay water charges and the development levy, as it currently stands. The Government must review development levies across all local authorities and reassess the level at which they are set based on a re-evaluation of costs arising from the removal from local authorities of the responsibility for providing water.

The problems with the Priory Hall complex and many similar housing developments underline the pressing need to protect home owners from rogue developers. I welcome the new building control regulations in so far as they address issues related to multiple units, albeit not in respect of purported deficiencies in one-off dwellings. I ask the Minister of State to consider establishing a national database of rogue developers who fail to meet the criteria associated with planning approvals. This database should be used to inform future planning permission decisions and the level of bonds required by local authorities.

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