Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To continue on from what Senator Boyhan said, I have major concerns about this area, particularly when we consider that there is a rolling fund of €70 million to purchase vacant properties from banks and investment companies. That is welcome but where is it happening and what is being done?

I ask the Minister to defend the housing assistance payment, HAP scheme, which all of us mentioned. This year, €153 million is being put aside for the HAP scheme. As we know, people on local authority housing lists qualified for rent allowance. The HAP is better than rent allowance because it gives people more scope and they receive a higher payment but the problem in my area is that people cannot find accommodation due to the lack of supply. We have people now who have qualified for the HAP and who are trying to find accommodation. I have started to look for accommodation for people who are coming to me because they cannot find any. Furthermore, many landlords are not taking people on the HAP. As I have said previously, there is a great deal of confusion and a lack of understanding of this new HAP scheme and the Department should put something in place, with the local authorities, in that regard. I could give examples of ten cases where the persons qualify for the HAP scheme but we cannot find accommodation for them because of the lack of housing. We have gone to different places to see if landlords will take on people who are in the HAP scheme. In fairness, some will but others will not.

This year, we will put €153 million into the HAP scheme but we should be looking at the bigger picture in that regard. There are no big local authority building projects. We see €70 million allocated for vacant properties through investment in bank companies, and that is fine, but we need to build local authority housing to provide the supply that is needed because there is no supply available. I know of people who are qualifying now as being homeless. We are making people homeless in certain cases, although not in all, through this HAP scheme because they are on the housing list but they cannot find rented accommodation. We will see much more of that in the coming months.

I ask about the 47,000 social housing units to be provided through local authorities. Could we have a breakdown of that? I, too, have seen the report. Is that money available or do local authorities have to ring up the Department and ask for it? When the Department sets its plan it knows that every local authority will seek a certain amount of money towards a particular scheme. Is that money available or is there a shortfall when it comes to local authorities in that things are being put on hold, whether it is through the HAP scheme, which I know is done through a different body, repairs, release or whatever? Is that money available and how long are local authorities waiting for money? That is the biggest delay in terms of supply. I welcome the fact that money is available but is it coming through the local authorities? That is a massive issue for me.

On the plan for 47,000 social housing units, could we have a breakdown of that figure? What is the Department's target for every local authority? I know that is the overall picture. I read in the Department's submission that it brought together all the local authorities recently to participate in a workshop. Was that done through the rapid build or other such programme? I am sure the Department takes them up on a regular basis in that regard.

We have a massive homelessness problem, half of which is not even being documented now. As so much is happening that is not being allowed for we need to ensure that local authorities, with the Department, understand that. There are 31 local authorities but every local authority is different. There are local authorities in cities and in rural areas, in Carlow, Laois, Naas and so on. I hope that the allocation to every local authority is based on what they come back to the Department with. What is happening in the long term? I have major concerns about this area but I do not see what is happening in terms of the bigger picture, although I am willing to await the response from the witnesses.