Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 3 March 2015

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government

Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised)

5:10 pm

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

I thank the Minister and the Ministers of State, Deputy Paudie Coffey and Deputy Ann Phelan, for making themselves available and for providing the documentation.

It is welcome that the time has been allocated to deal with housing in the first instance, as it represents 52% of the Vote. I want to clarify an issue relating to new units that are being provided this year as part of the five-year programme that was announced some months ago. There are proposals for 7,400 new social units and there is an additional 8,400 households who will be assisted through the housing assistance payment. Of the 7,400 new social units, some 1,400 will be built or acquired. Do we know at this stage whether that number will be built based on the Minister's consultations and negotiations with the management of the local authorities? Have the proposals from the local authorities been assessed? Is the Minister in a position to provide a breakdown of each local authority's proposals to build or acquire housing units? We would like to know which local authorities will be involved in a house building programme. All the stakeholders recognise that we must address the issue of supply and one addresses that by providing more units.

The proposed 7,400 social units will comprise 3,000 units under the social housing leasing initiative. Will the Minister clarify if the proposed 3,000 new units will be provided by social housing agencies and, if so, have the social housing agencies been granted planning permission to construct the units? Will the units be constructed this year? Can we state definitively in which local authority areas they will be built?

It is also proposed that 1,000 vacant local authority dwellings will be refurbished and returned to use. We would expect that all local authority units would be in use. In real terms that is not a new allocation of 1,000 housing units. There is also a proposal for 2,000 new rental accommodation scheme units. Is that 2,000 new units under the RAS schemes?

I have heard the Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, state that he would bring forward legislation to address the case of the many local authority tenants who are being refused access to accommodation under the RAS scheme because the landlords will not accept local authority tenants. That may take some time.

The Minister made an announcement on rent caps and I hope he will elaborate on how he will address people's inability to afford the increased rent? Will new RAS schemes come on stream? The supply issue is pivotal. The demand far outweighs the supply. I meet people daily and the issue they raise is their inability to find a home under the rental accommodation scheme, RAS. I am glad to hear the Minister say that it is at the top of his agenda. I am nervous that the units are not available. The Minister is hoping that units will become available to be leased.

In the course of his speech the Minister has set a target of over 8,000 transfers from rent supplement to housing assistance payment, HAP. Is the Minister referring to existing families that are getting assistance at present and will be assisted again in the coming year? The headline rate is 15,800 units, but how many new units will be delivered by the end of 2015?

What role do public private partnerships play in the provision of housing? What is the level of Exchequer exposure to public private partnership agreements? I did not hear that mentioned. Should the proposals for public private partnerships not be taken up, what money has been put aside and has provision been made in the Estimate for that? What is the total amount of money being spent on housing assistance payment? What is the timescale for its roll-out? Will the Minister elaborate on the HAP scheme, when it is enforceable and when is it expected to be completed? Will it assist new families? Based on his negotiations with local authorities is he satisfied that the units will become available? We need to build units, and if we fail to do so we cannot satisfy the demand. If the units are not provided the crisis will deepen.

While I appreciate the Minister's commitment and the effort he and his Department are making, if we do not succeed in having shovel ready projects the units cannot be provided and the crisis continues.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.