Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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One of the big increases in those trying to access housing is those whose marriages have broken down. Separated men with children find it almost impossible to get council housing to accommodate the needs of their children. They apply for council housing but because their children might already be housed in a council house with their mother they are not allowed to include the children as applicants on a housing list. Fathers are then forced to rent privately, which is driving them into poverty because it is difficult for separated fathers to rent a two-bedroom house or three-bedroom house to accommodate their children in addition to paying maintenance and looking after the welfare of their children. It is not possible for them to do so.

Reference has been made to poverty traps and rent allowance. Unless we deal with such issues from a policy point of view then we will never lift those individuals out of the situation. We can invest as much money as we like in housing but we are not taking into account the needs of those on the waiting list. The standard build is a two-bedroom house or a three-bedroom house. We take into account the number of people on the waiting list and the number of houses that are needed but we are not looking at the type of builds we need to put in place. There is no mixture of build types, which will be different in every local authority. The Minister of State with responsibility for housing does not appear to have a strategy in place to examine the needs of people on the housing waiting list. That is a significant issue that is not being addressed.