Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

My question is on Pillar 3 and the number of houses being built, especially for social housing. The final figure for new build housing last year was released. The number was 652. This was evenly split between the housing bodies and local authorities. However, when we exclude regeneration, which is simply replacing pre-existing stock that was social housing stock at one point, only 253 new local authority homes were built. By any standard, that is a continuation of a situation that was appalling. The policy of a handful of houses being built here and there is all we ever hear of. We never hear of 200 or 400 being built, although that used to be the case. Previously, most housing estates were made up of at least 200 houses.

It is clearly not going to work. It is a political decision to have small-scale social housing. It will not be able to deal with the huge crisis we have. I see and hear nothing that will change that.

The other issue is the lack of Part V development because only 64 units were provided in 2015. The latest statistics from the Department show that there were only 37 in 2016. That is a major problem because Part V is meant to supply one in five of the 22,577 new build social housing units promised in Rebuilding Ireland by 2021. It is not happening. This means that we need more direct build to make up the figures and that is not happening either. The plan is not working. I know we constantly hear that it takes time to build houses, but the plans, figures and projects are not sufficient to suggest that there will be houses even in two or three years.

The other problem we have had, which I have raised consistently and which is also doing down the number of social housing units, is part privatising or selling off public lands to private developers, because that is eating into the potential to get local authority stock. I know the Senator mentioned that rural areas are not being focused on, but the areas with the largest amount of homelessness are not being focused on. There is no targeted action. It is a bit like a doctor being approached with a cancerous tumour but treating all of the other things instead of the tumour. If there was a serious plan on the part of Government to resolve the worst of the housing crisis, it would be focused on Deputy Ellis's area and my area - the places where massive homelessness exists. That is what the figures show. As the previous meeting, I said that houses were not being built in Fingal, and Heathfield was cited. It is not Blanchardstown. It is not housing for people who live in greater Blanchardstown. It is fine, I am delighted for those who get it, but I am just saying that it is not targeted at huge areas, whereas the last remaining site we do have in greater Blanchardstown could accommodate 1,500 units if fully built. This is land north of Wellview. Apparently, the plan is that only 13% of it will be social housing because of this new fabulous policy of sustainable communities which the Government keeps telling us is great. A total of 20% will be rented out - to people on the social housing list, I am sure - while 50% will given to a developer. It is outrageous and I will certainly campaign politically to ensure this does not happen. Councillors might have supported it in theory, but in practice one can see the impact if that is the last remaining piece of zoned council land for housing in the area.

I know homelessness figures are covered in the other pillars but it relates to completed houses. They have gone up dramatically. A total of 1,250 more people are homeless since the Minister took charge. The rapid builds are not happening. Coming to these meetings is very depressing. I would love to be able to say that I am glad to see that something is working but it is a continuation of the same type of inertia.