Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I disagree, however, with the resolution proposed by Deputy Coppinger.

This is where we can do something and have a great deal in common. The Chairman will be equally shocked to know that a number of my constituents live in Tyrrelstown, Ongar and various other places and they come to me on a regular basis. Like every other member, I have a general knowledge of the position. I agree the answer to the problem is not to put people who are in houses on the side of the road. We cannot afford, as a society, to allow that to happen without doing serious damage to our society.

We should consider who should pick up the tab. There is not much sense in the local authority deciding to buy houses that have tenants or people in them. That will not add to the housing stock. They will end up buying property that other people owned previously and relieving them of the responsibility, which will cost the State in any event. I do not see why investors who purchased the properties for whatever reason should fail to take responsibility for ensuring rents are not raised dramatically in a short period. They should wait their turn until it is possible to make the provision required for the people concerned. I have come across this in my own constituency and in neighbouring constituencies, as has everyone around the table. A venture capitalist has two options: invest in a bank, for which he or she will receive a return of 0.5% or 1%, or invest in property, for which he or she might achieve a 10% or 20% increment on an annual basis. In some cases during the boom, such an individual achieved increases of 400% or 500%. It is crucial that we all agree to that. There is no scenario in which we can countenance the creation of homelessness for whatever economic reason, because that is our responsibility as public representatives.

As Deputy Coppinger said, it is important that we empathise with the fact that a house is not just a house standing free by itself. That is not the entirety of what is required. People also need a community and the recreational space that goes with it. The Deputy is correct that there was a lack of emphasis on these issues during the boom, but not all of us agreed with that. Many of us strongly objected to the fact that there was a concentration of high-density development which provided little other than a place to sleep at night in a confined space, as the committee has discussed over the past number of weeks. These are not acceptable places for people to live in or in which a community should exist and take its normal place in society. Now is the time, as development plans are being drafted all over the country, to say to local authority members that they must provide community facilities as well, because that is part of what living is about.

The issue of management fees has been mentioned. They are atrocious. I was a voice in the wilderness when management fees of €2,000 or €3,000 annually were regarded as a worthwhile proposition. People who previously had had difficulty paying rates were suddenly expected to pay multiples of that amount. We need to examine what we will do about that and to recognise that putting people in a worse position that than they were in previously will not solve our housing problem.

If a person is homeless, could potentially become homeless, is living in cramped, overcrowded conditions, or has someone with special needs in the household, it is a challenging position at any time. That must be recognised. The potential threat of homelessness exacerbates the situation. People need to be close to community facilities, including schools, care centres, hospitals and so on, where they have established community reliance and support.

The issues the witnesses mentioned are not new to us - we know about them. The witnesses are right that we need to do something about them and we need to do it in the short term. I am concerned about the quick fix. What I am most concerned about at this stage is that we try to ensure that venture capitalists recognise that they have a social responsibility. The banking system in this country did not do itself any great honour over a period which eventually resulted in the situations that we are discussing now. They have some moral responsibility in these matters. I do not expect them to hand over dosh to us on an ongoing basis. There is nothing in life for free and we must recognise that. The witnesses know that too. I do not wish to offer the people soft options. We need to ensure that investors of that kind, with that intention, recognise that we expect them to display their social obligations of which they have many. Now is the time to show it.