Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all the representatives of local government in attendance. After two and a half years as a member of this committee, I am conscious that we have a housing crisis. We do not need to keep repeating that. To set the context, we have 10,000 people, including 3,600 children in emergency accommodation, and 100,000 on the social housing lists of the 31 local authorities. Those are the facts and we do not have to keep rehearsing them.

I am not here to explain the position on behalf of the Department but it has tried to convince us that it is trying to streamline the entire process. There is always a conflict regarding how housing will be delivered. Local authorities are different and we should not try to homogenise them. I acknowledge and support this difference. If we are to strengthen local democracy, we must support the executive of our councils and the executive must support the elected members in determining policy. Ultimately, the local authorities must have regard to Government policy and, regardless of whether we like it, Rebuilding Ireland is the name of the game at the moment.

I have read all the submissions from Wicklow County Council, Fingal County Council, Dublin City Council and Tipperary County Council and they are very professional. I am as much a critic of local authorities as anybody else. When one is no longer a member of a local authority one sees it somewhat differently from when one was a member. I acknowledge the calibre and quality of the reports that were submitted to the committee in advance of this meeting. It is important to say that because far too often one hears from the Department or somebody else that the local authorities are too slow. We then have the local authorities telling us it is an issue with the Department. The whole process needs to be streamlined.

I was extremely disappointed with the targets. They are not realistic and not good enough in the context of the numbers I mentioned. The witnesses may think differently. We had great fanfare and publicity about the three wonderful summits that took place in the Custom House. We do not hear much about what comes out of them, however. I do not know how all that is measured. However, I have conversations with officials and the committee meets the Minister regularly. For example, we will meet him at some length on Thursday in this very room when we will question and challenge him and his officials.

There are a few issues I would like to ask about. Are the social housing targets fair and are they being met? I presume I can only ask that of the local authorities represented at this meeting. In some cases, they are not stretched enough but there may be good reasons for that, for example, resource or personnel issues. There may be a range of reasons but I would like to hear them and have them placed on the record. This is where we do our business and this meeting is an opportunity for the local authorities, as much as it is for us.

What are the main challenges facing the housing sections of local authorities? I am aware that officials at the coalface of housing are under immense stress and encounter very difficult cases. That must be acknowledged. However, one can understand why there is a tension among those who have been on a housing list for years.

What shortcomings are there in the relationship between the local authorities and the Department? Do the local authorities need greater supports? We keep hearing that money is not a problem but the local authorities are slowing the process. We all know we have to get more houses built quickly.

I thank the local authorities for their position papers, including the comprehensive data provided. The submissions are different and it is interesting to see the different models that are applied. Are the housing targets realistic or could local authorities do much more with greater resources? What are the shortcomings? Do the local authorities need more assistance from the Department? Is the Department a hindrance? Are there better ways of generating synergies? Should we be talking about regional synergies for the development of housing?