Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Women's Aid refuge in Dundalk is to close its doors with effect from 27 June 2014. On Monday last I received an e-mail from Lisa Marmion, the director of the refuge, which stated that the refuge was closing. The problem is funding. The refuge is to receive only €20,000 to run its operations. The Housing Authority is responsible for its budget. Ms Marmion said that the refuge can be run for as little as €50,000, meaning there is a shortfall of €30,000. Refuge costs include heating, lighting, bedding and so forth. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, took over some areas of responsibility previously in the remit of the HSE, including care costs.

Women's Aid in Dundalk provides a range of services to women and their children who have experienced violence in the context of an intimate relationship. It operates in the community voluntary sector and its work involves human rights, justice, sexual violence, accommodation, housing and homelessness. Last year 293 requests for shelter at Dundalk Women's Aid refuge had to be refused. This represented an increase of more than 30% in the number the refuge could not facilitate. Domestic violence is not a thing of the past. With the increase in drug and alcohol abuse, we cannot close our eyes to this.

I have arranged to meet Lisa Marmion this Friday. I have also spoken to Joe Mc Guinness, chairman of the regional management group of the north east homeless forum, who is willing to meet Women's Aid representatives. Can the Minister of State give me an undertaking to save the Women's Aid refuge in Dundalk? This facility has been the backbone in terms of meeting refuge demand in the north east for years. The services provided by the facility are of immense benefit and are, unfortunately, in great demand. Dundalk and the north east need this facility. I ask the Minister of State to re-evaluate any decision she has made about the aforementioned facility. I ask that her Department works with me to save this invaluable refuge. Can I count on the Minister of State and her Department to work with me and Lisa Marmion from the refuge to explore every possible avenue in order to save this great service?

On social housing, I welcome the 5,000 new social housing units that will be provided in 2014 through investment in leasing, the Rental Accommodation Scheme, RAS, the completion of the existing capital programmes, mortgage to rent arrangements and the continued transfer of NAMA units. The additional €15 million investment that will bring more than 500 long-term vacant local authority housing units back into use is also welcome.

In Dundalk there are as many as 50 properties in just two estates that have fallen into disrepair. I would like to see the local authority given additional powers so that it can take over these houses and turn them into much-needed homes for those on the housing waiting list. Dundalk Town Council is investigating the possibility of acquiring a number of derelict houses in the town. It then hopes to engage the voluntary housing bodies in the development of the sites for new homes. As well as creating much-needed social housing, this would also improve the appearance of the area and help to cut down on anti-social behaviour.

Many absentee landlords in Dundalk and other parts of the country are allowing their properties to become rat-infested hovels that are threatening the estates in which they are situated. Many of these landlords, who are based across the Border, have effectively abandoned their houses in Dundalk. Constituents who are on the housing list in Dundalk have come to my office and told me that houses in their area are vacant and have asked if they could move into them. I then discovered that the local authority does not own these properties at all. They are owned by private landlords, many of whom are not registered and will not rent the properties to people in receipt of rent allowance. The properties are left vacant and are not maintained. Rubbish is left lying around and many are infested with rats.

One in five households are now in the private rental sector. A lot of marriages and partnerships break up but if a person's name is on the deeds of a property, that person is not entitled to apply for social housing or rent allowance. This is leaving some people homeless and I ask the Minister of State to examine this issue and to help such people to get their lives back on track.

I welcome the new two-year capital investment in housing for people with disabilities, the elderly and homeless people which will see €35 million invested this year and next. I also welcome the €30 million investment in improving the energy efficiency of local authority homes which will reduce the energy bills of thousands of families and support green energy jobs.

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