Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

On Mr. Sweetman's contribution, one of the reasons that we suggested this session was to look at legislation, including emergency legislation, that might be required to stop people from becoming homeless and to sort out the housing emergency. The issue of CPOs is an important one on which this committee needs to get views. In his presentation, Mr. Sweetman gave the impression that he did not like CPOs because they were cumbersome and unviable.

First, with regard to land, it is not always the case that local authorities have enough land zoned that they can build on. It certainly is not the case in my local authority, where the information is compiled. In Dublin west - which, based on the figures, probably has the biggest housing crisis in the country - there is one patch of land that the local authority has left zoned. The land, extending to 15 acres, is all in one location. Of course, it happens to be the most deprived area. We cannot solve the housing crisis unless we are able to get privately owned land in Dublin west and in Dublin 15. The local authority has a lot of industrially zoned land, on which it has a deal with IDA Ireland. Some of it would not be suitable for housing because it would be in the middle of an industrial estate; other portions of it may be.

One of the other reasons we selected this as a topic was the question of vulture funds. I note that Mr. Sweetman does not like the use of the word, but it must be said that he has a connection and an interest in that he is a lead partner in the commercial property department at Matheson, which has connections with these vulture funds. Matheson has 125 US companies registered at its address on Sir John Rogerson's Quay and it gives tax minimisation advice to international clients, some of which are vulture funds. The chair of Matheson is the sole shareholder in European Property Fund. I was out this morning with residents from my area who are threatened with eviction by European Property Fund. I am merely stating that Mr. Sweetman may have an interest.

I wanted to take up Mr. Sweetman's idea that home ownership is this great equaliser of the classes. In fact, it is the opposite. Home ownership has become the way one climbs above people and a way for people to be blocked out. In Dublin, the ratio of those who own their homes and those who rent is 50:50, simply because of unaffordability. Of course, just because people buy their houses, it does not mean they are suddenly not working class.

Mr. Sweetman mentioned the pension time bomb. I would read it the opposite way to Mr. Sweetman, because one of the big spurs in the buy-to-let trend was the fact that building workers and others who were self-employed bought houses for their pensions. Now look at where these people are. They have these second or third houses that they bought because they were told to buy them, but they do not want to be landlords and the whole endeavour has fallen belly-up. Would it not be better to introduce proper pensions? Also, would Mr. Sweetman agree with the idea that people could have in their old age a publicly owned house, probably smaller than what they had previously, or even, in the case of some people as they get older, sheltered housing?

On the idea that private housing protects people, 30 or 40-year mortgages are now the norm, and many must remain working longer. Teachers are now working until all ages.

Lastly, not all the sellers are willing. Many are not willing to sell. With regard to the vulture funds, I am trying to encourage the Government or the local authority to buy Tyrrelstown to keep people in their homes. That is the only way I see for those people to avoid becoming homeless, particularly in our area. However, the talks have not gone well.

Therefore, the issue of compulsory purchase comes into play.