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

I move amendment No. 22:

In page 48, line 3, after "shall" to insert "not".

The Bill proposes that when clients have received HAPs, their housing need will be deemed to have been met. Unfortunately, this will remove many people from local authority waiting lists and it disregards the wishes of many who would enter into short-term agreements as a step towards being accommodated on a more permanent basis in local authority housing. There is a feeling that what is proposed in the Bill may distort the figures and will not allow people to understand the real issue, namely, that sort-term measures will not solve our long-term problems. Giving 90,000 or 100,000 people on a housing waiting list HAPs is a short-term measure and it will not allow us to meet our obligation to assist these individuals on a long-term basis. I am concerned that there may be a perception that this legislation provides the means to solve short-term problems while it also seeks to tick the box of solving our long-term difficulties. Of course, it will not solve the latter. The amendment would replace the word "shall" with the term "not" in order that people will not be removed from waiting lists and will, like others, still be able to avail of long-term solutions. People should not be pigeon-holed as having had their problems solved when that is definitely not the case.