Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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On the first issue the Deputy raised, top-up payments are allowed but three in four tenants in receipt of a housing assistance payment do not pay a top-up. Local authorities also have discretion to make a 20% top-up, where necessary, to ensure a tenant is not placed in a position of being unable to afford a top-up when more rent is required because of the demands in the market. Allowing that kind of flexibility is very important because it can be to the tenant's benefit in securing a property where he or she wants to live. The vast majority who avail of a housing assistance payment do so successfully. They enjoy the flexibility it gives which previous schemes did not give in terms of being able to work more and earn more. They also enjoy having flexibility regarding the location of the accommodation. From a policy perspective, notwithstanding that we want to provide more social housing stock, HAP allows us to do something with the existing housing stock in terms of achieving a social mix which we would not do without it. HAP will always be provided to some degree, albeit to a lesser degree in the future, because from the State's perspective, it has social benefits in terms of achieving the mix we want to see in housing.

The Deputy spoke of landlords but earlier he was looking for more landlords in the long-term rental sector. I ask for some consistency. It helps no one and does not serve mature debate to have the Deputy speak of a landlord class when 70% of landlords in this country only own one property. They are families and individuals and the Deputy is trying to paint them as something that they are not. That is grossly unfair.

Arrears and people having difficulty paying rent, whether it is a top-up or otherwise, is an issue. The Residential Tenancies Board believes it is a greater issue than serving notices to quit where the reason is sale of property. The Department and the RTB, together with some of the leading NGOs and the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, are trying to get further information on the issue of arrears to see what further interventions can be made. I have discussed arrears with the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and it has also been discussed at the inter-agency group, the Government group I set up in September 2017. How we make earlier interventions to help people who find themselves in difficulty or housing insecurity has also been discussed at a special meeting with the Taoiseach and other relevant Ministers. The earlier the intervention, the lower the chance that someone will have to present to the local authority or enter emergency accommodation. That is a big piece of work.

On co-living, I cannot comment on an individual planning application. I do not remember the Deputy making any objection to this proposal when I first brought it forward 14 months ago or when the regulations were brought in last year. The Deputy noted a view given by Threshold. I will note a view given by the Irish architects who welcomed it as a way of providing another layer of choice in the housing sector. There are different views on this. It is a very small aspect of what we need to do. Less than 1% of new builds in the next 12 months will be for co-living.

Co-living is not for everyone. However, a house share in a four-bedroom home is not suitable for someone coming to this country for the first time, nor is living in isolation in a studio or one-bedroom apartment. There will be more than 20,000 new builds this year and I do not know if any will be for co-living. If co-living proceeds, it will be for less than 1%. Given the Deputy's historical outline, I note that he welcomes the concept of co-living. That is what I take from his comments as he talked through the concept. I repeat, we cannot discuss an individual planning application.