Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

While house prices continue to grow, albeit at a slower rate, the demand for social housing is now at its highest level since the formation of the State. The last official record on waiting list figures shows that over 48,000 households are waiting for social housing but this figure is likely to grow after the recent assessment which took place in March.

There is a reluctance to deal with the lack of social housing. The composition of waiting lists may be changing as more smaller households and single people are replacing families on local authority waiting lists. This is a reflection of demographic changes in society. However, just because there are more smaller and single person households should not lessen the housing need of those on the waiting list. Single people also need housing.

The Government constantly argues that social housing output has risen since 2000 but this rise is very small when compared to the increase in private house building for owners and investors. The Government continually praises itself for the continued high levels of private house building as if it had produced this housing itself. The high level of private house building has been achieved by private developers, land speculators and banks, often on the backs of the significant and growing number of new young households that need housing. These are the facts. Although an increased supply in the number of houses being built has reduced the increase in house prices, the reality is that the entry point to become a new home owner is now up to ten times the average industrial wage.

Something can be done to address this. Last year the Government commissioned the Oireachtas All-Party Committee on the Constitution examine property rights. Recently the National Economic and Social Council produced a report which had a series of practical recommendations on social and affordable housing, including recommendations to provide 73,000 new social rented homes up to 2012. There is no urgency in regard to recommendations in these reports. The NESC, which represents the social partners, produced a report but to date this consensus approach has not been reflected by the Government in concrete action.

I call on the Minister to have a debate in the Dáil on this matter and to tell the public what the Government intends to do to help low income groups access housing. Let us see if the Government will actively intervene and provide more resources to local authorities and housing associations to build more social housing like NESC and the social partners agreed, or if it sit on its hands and rely on profit-driven private landlords to fill the gap with the tab being picked up by the State in a significant bill for private rent subsidies which is heading for €350 million this year. This is a case of an open cheque book for private landlords on the back of the poor and vulnerable. The Minister will be aware that more and more small families have to rely on private landlords to be housed. This is not a satisfactory response from the Government and I ask that it be examined urgently.

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