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

Rather than going through all the figures again, I would like to voice my massive concerns about the system. A failed system will not work, no matter how much money is put into it. I understand that the Minister is working and trying to sort out issues, but let us examine the RAS. If someone is on the housing list and is in receipt of RAS, they are taken off the housing list. If I have ten people in my clinic who are on the RAS, and I go to the local authority housing list to look for their names, they are not on it. This happens to thousands upon thousands of people. It is an absolute nightmare. It is not working. I have to say, in fairness to the Minister, he has been working with the HAP, but I have a major concern with it. If someone gets onto the local authority housing list, they are automatically entitled to the HAP.

Many landlords will not take tenants on HAP which is causing serious concern for us because we are trying to see if landlords will take tenants on HAP - certain landlords do. A person who had a mortgage whose house has been repossessed, who is no longer living there and is trying to find accommodation but whose name is still on the deeds cannot go on the housing list. Years ago people could be on two local authority lists; they could get only one house but it gave them the flexibility. A person living in Wicklow cannot be placed on the housing list in Carlow. This is why people are becoming homeless. We are coming across another type of homelessness that is not being addressed.

Carlow has one of the lowest income ceilings. A person needs to be earning less than €27,500 to go on the local authority housing list in Carlow. The figure in the neighbouring counties of Laois and Wicklow is €30,000. That is the issue. These are issues causing homelessness. People who do not qualify should be given encouragement to get a mortgage because so many people do not qualify to get a mortgage through the banks and building societies, nor do they qualify to be on the local authority housing list. This is the new homelessness. These people are in no-man's land.

I was very disappointed about the rent-pressure zone areas. Rent-pressure zone areas are crucial but because we have an emergency situation, every local authority should have qualified just until we got out of the housing crisis. I understand it is not possible to leave them there all the time. It is very hard for me to see my neighbouring county qualify for the rent-pressure zone area while we have the same issues but do not qualify. That is where all the confusion is.

I welcome the initiative on the vacant houses, but the issue is with the timescale for getting them back to the local authority when they are ready to go. We seem to be getting the same figures all the time. I ask the Minister to put something in place. There is no accountability in a local authority. The Minister needs to move on these. I welcome what is happening with these vacant houses, but they are coming back too slowly; there is too much red tape and it is not working out.

I have massive concerns about the 800 local authority new builds. We need to build. I know the Government has exceeded its targets on the HAP scheme. Taxpayers' money is going to 15,120 new tenants to cover rent for accommodation that those people will never own. These are the issues we need to consider.

I welcome the money the Minister has allocated for the housing adaptation grant. Carlow got an additional €500,000, which is marvellous. People are living longer and that is the area that needs to be addressed most urgently. Most people attending my clinic are looking for all this extra help because they actually cannot afford it. It is great that the Minister is putting money into that.

I have picked the points where I feel the system is not working. Local authorities need to be given more leniency and we need more accountability. It is creating a new homelessness crisis. The people I have highlighted are being forgotten. I know the Minister will address it. I ask the Department to consider these issues. I ask the Minister to examine the issue of mortgages for people who are in no-man's land of being in work but not qualifying to go on the local authority housing list. He should give them the chance and build houses. I was not too hard on the Minister today.