Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I welcome the witnesses. The Minister, who I congratulate on his appointment, made an opening statement at last week's meeting and I would like to make one or two comments on that. When the Taoiseach announced his appointment two weeks ago, he stated, "Rebuilding Ireland is working but it may not be enough and so I am tasking him to review it within three months and to consider what additional measures may be required, including consideration of a greater quantum of social housing build, a vacant home tax and measures to encourage landlords to remain in or enter the rental market." Within 24 hours a statement by the former Minister, Deputy Coveney, was published on the Department's website. I acknowledge his enormous work, energy and effort in respect of Rebuilding Ireland. It is Government policy and we are reviewing its performance in the first quarter of 2017. The policy contains 48 actions, 13 of which were complete, according to the report we have been given, 26 are on schedule and nine are incomplete. That is a reasonably good day's work benchmarked against the targets, timeframes and the people with responsibilities. We must be fair and put this in context. The period in question is the first quarter of the year, not the final quarter.

I do not wish to be parochial, as this policy is meant to be strategic, but I know best the area I live in and I would like to reference that. Page 14 of the Minister's report relates to rapid build. We have to get real. Rapid build has not delivered. It was envisaged 12 homes would be built in George's Place in Dún Laoghaire. There was great razzmatazz and a fanfare of publicity about this wonderful rapid build. Why are they not permanent houses? Why are there only 12 houses? I have examined the locations for rapid builds and the zoning. However, I will zone in on the one I know best in George's Place. This has a major town centre zoning and the Minister and the professional planners who advise him will be aware that its capacity to realise a high quantum of residential units as well as commercial units is possible and practical. Across the road, there is a private sector development, which is a five-storey apartment block, and there were Part V benefits to the local authority. The site is served by brilliant public transport as it is on the DART line and is beside the sea. I would love to live there. I would like the Minister to revisit the site because the rapid build is a waste of resources and land and it does not maximise the potential of the zoning. The Minister states in the report in respect of the 330 rapid build homes that are advancing that there are 11 projects but nothing is happening. I went to the trouble to visit the site in George's Place before I came into work. Nothing has happened. There is a lovely private mews with a roof on it that was not there three weeks ago, which has been built by someone in the private sector. Is the Minster serious about tackling the housing crisis? I checked in with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council earlier. There are 5,079 applicants on the housing list. That includes a multitude families and children and, therefore, the number of people on the list is greater than that. I would like the Minister to address that.

I will finish with one final example. It relates to a place called St. Laurence's Park in Stillorgan, near the shopping centre. It has 16 housing units, of which 14 are empty and boarded up. Despite considerable correspondence between myself and the Department and the local authority, they remain empty. How can we justify having 14 units lying empty for over five years? There are only two people in there, who say they wish to stay and want to be left alone to live there. Why can someone not come out and respond? The Department talks about its delivery unit. A parliamentary question was asked last week regarding the delivery unit. We were told in the response that there were only four people in this special delivery unit. How can we have confidence in a unit with only four people? It is clearly under-resourced. To be fair to the Minister, he did refer to that.

I have two things I ask for. The first that the Minister would visit St. Laurence's Park in Stillorgan and satisfy himself that these 14 units are there and empty and put a plan in to have them fast-tracked and opened for people on the housing lists. The second, is that the Minister should cancel any arrangement to proceed with 12 rapid houses in George's Place when it has a major town centre.

I will finish by going to the third item. This relates to pillar 3. I am delighted that the Minister signed the order regarding fast-track planning on Friday. That is to be welcomed. Given that there is a housing crisis, it is was a little disappointing that after this legislation was rushed through the House before Christmas in 2016 and we were assured that it would be up-and-running in relating to fast-track planning, that it has taken so long. Nevertheless, we are where we are and it is now in place and to be welcomed. It is a complex system to follow and because of the processes and the 16 weeks period. Someone in the private sector did up an infographic and I can make this available to the Department. They could look at this, do an infographic and circulate it both to the elected members around the country and to the officials. The scheme is slightly cumbersome and it would be helpful to people. I had reservations about it but I wish it well.

On this matter, could the Minister say how people might access it. When we debated the legislation there was an issue about fees. How are elected members, be they Members of the Oireachtas or the 31 local council, supposed to interact as people with a democratic mandate? There was some suggestion that there could be a reduction in fees for them.

I thank the Minister and acknowledge that ultimately we are here to review a Government document, Rebuilding Ireland, in the first quarter. There were 48 items on it, 13 are complete, 26 on schedule and 9 incomplete. That is a good day's work and I acknowledge it.