Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the officials from the various Departments who have attended the committee today. It is important that we continue to engage and debate the important issues around housing. There is a genuine concern on the ground that there is a real threat of a full-blown housing crisis affecting not just major urban areas but smaller local authority areas which have long housing waiting lists. Much action is needed on several fronts. It was not today or yesterday when many of these problems arose. Many years ago, when the property boom was in its heyday, government policy and local authorities abdicated their responsibility for building housing units for people with genuine housing needs. We now have to catch up in rectifying these policies that have gone wrong.

While some are critical of RAS, I believe there is a place for it, provided it is managed well and is properly resourced to ensure that private accommodation is quality-assured. Will the officials explain to me the resources that go into inspections of private rented accommodation? How regularly are these inspections reported to the Department?

There is much criticism of local authorities for no longer building social housing. We all know from our constituencies that a number of local authority units are left vacant not just for months but for years. An attempt was made recently to address this by allocating moneys to local authorities to deal with these units.

I believe more needs to be done in turning around vacant units in order to let them again as soon as possible. I acknowledge that the officials may be looking outside the box in some respects but have they considered involving SOLAS, the new training body in place of the dissolved FÁS, to use apprentices and redundant tradespersons to refurbish these vacant units? Thinking outside the box, could the trade unions and local authorities play a role in having these houses refurbished?

Has the option of relocation been considered to deal with the demand for housing? I accept there is significant pressure on housing in Dublin; however, there may be private sector units available down the county that would be suitable for families, if they were willing to consider relocation. I think that happened in the past. I am not suggesting that people should be forced to relocate, but should families have the option of being housed in a unit down the country at half of what it would cost in Dublin? Is this option considered when families are desperate for a house and need a new start?

Deputy Ellis mentioned the families who are living in hotels and B&Bs and I agree that it is a scandal that families would have to reside in a hotel bedroom. We must do all in our power to address that.

I acknowledge the role the voluntary housing associations play. Only for them we would be in deep trouble. Is it only local-authority-approved projects that are considered for financial support or can community-led projects be considered for support? I am aware that the very proactive community in Dunhill, County Waterford, bought land to build social housing and repopulate this rural area. This project is down the picking list of the local authority because Dunhill is not a large urban area. The community could build 12 to 20 units in a beautiful area of County Waterford but because they are not prioritised they are off the radar. These houses could be built at a competitive rate compared to the cost of building in a city. Can we not think in terms of community-led initiatives that can build on the services available in the community? The community in Dunhill have been proactive and they are looking for support to build housing units. Why can we not support more of these types of initiative rather than depending on the local authority to provide housing in larger areas?

These are some of the ideas that I would like to put to the officials. I see that a crisis is pending if we do not act soon.