Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

The Minister of State has a better understanding of this matter than does the Minister, Deputy Coughlan, and Deputy Broughan is correct in stating that he should talk to her about the situations which we, as public representatives, must deal with each day as a result of the cut to which I refer. Local authorities want to address these issues. However, this cut, which appeared out of the blue, has meant that many people who would previously have been able to occupy rented accommodation until local authorities could house them have been obliged to return to their family homes and this has led to the creation of overcrowded and unsafe conditions.

Deputy McManus referred to affordable housing. The concept of such housing is good because it addresses the needs of those in the middle income trap who cannot afford a mortgage, who need housing but who cannot be accommodated by their local authorities because they are not high enough on the priority list. The position is similar with shared ownership. The shared ownership scheme was initially a good idea and probably remains so in some areas where house prices are relatively low. However, in areas where prices have escalated, those who qualify for the scheme because of their levels of income simply cannot find a house in the private market which meets the requirements. I acknowledge that the shared ownership and affordable housing schemes are good and have a great deal of potential. However, that potential is not being realised. In that context, the Minister of State needs to address the issues identified by the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution.

The Minister of State is aware that I have an interest in the voluntary housing sector. That sector also has great potential, particularly in terms of assisting him and local authorities in the provision of social and affordable housing. Voluntary housing associations, particularly in terms of the housing of elderly people, can develop imaginative schemes. I saw one such scheme recently when I was canvassing in County Limerick. It is a sheltered scheme where elderly people have their own individual accommodation but where there is a supervisor on the premises, where there are shared communal facilities and where the residents enjoy security and safety. Schemes of this nature can be put in place with the co-operation of the voluntary housing sector.

There is a great deal to be done. There are many homeless people, particularly in the capital city. It is a disgrace that this situation continues to obtain when we have so much wealth at our disposal. There are proposals in the report to which I referred which have the potential to address the problems that exist in a radical fashion. They must be implemented in conjunction with more support for local authorities in terms of their efforts to provide social and affordable housing, increased interaction with the voluntary sector and a commitment to take this important issue seriously. I do not doubt the Minister of State's commitment. However, there must be a commitment from the Government that the provision of affordable housing for everybody in our society, right across the spectrum, must be given priority and placed at the top of the agenda. Sadly, the latter is not the case at present.

If there is a commitment forthcoming in respect of the report and in terms of the Department supporting local authorities in the provision of social and affordable housing, we will believe that the issues to which I refer are being addressed. At present, these issues are not priorities for the Government.

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