Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

Like other Members, I take this opportunity to make some remarks on the issue of housing. In this respect, any remarks made by any Member probably have a degree of accuracy. A massive amount has been done, a record investment in housing has been made and the amount of construction under way is unparalleled. By any measure, we are doing far better than our counterparts anywhere else in Europe.

I wish to examine a number of areas, namely, social and affordable housing and, if I have time, housing for the elderly and Traveller housing. The commitment of the Minister, on which I compliment him, to make multi-annual budgets available to local authorities has been a significant development. In some cases, the measure has been used quite innovatively. While I do not wish to crow about what has been achieved by Dublin City Council or in my constituency where there is local political leadership, it is possible to advance schemes that are highly imaginative and innovative. As I explained to the Minister, some smaller infill schemes have been built in my constituency at the instigation of the city council's local area committee. They fulfil a number of functions such as promoting social cohesion, as one has people who are able to afford a house where they were raised, providing community stability and bringing a measure of confidence to the community. I have seen such schemes work extremely well in Finglas and Santry.

I wish to concentrate on what I believe is the model of best practice in this country, namely, the Ballymun regeneration project. Most Members will have seen it at some stage. Those who represent Dublin North-West have seen it at first hand and remember the appalling conditions that people living in flats were obliged to endure. We saw how a decision taken by a previous Government, of which Fianna Fáil was a part, to attempt a rejuvenation of the existing flats did not work. However, through community action in co-operation with the Government and Dublin City Council, a radical programme of regeneration has been developed and is now being delivered. Anyone who takes the trouble to go to Ballymun will see the range of high quality housing available there as well as the diverse nature of delivery.

For example, one can examine Tigh Meitheal, which is a co-operative housing development, the best of its type, which was delivered by a group called Tógáil Developments Limited. One can see the transformation. For example, before Ballymun Regeneration Limited came on the scene, there were four privately owned houses in Ballymun, namely, the four presbyteries. At this stage, we have a mix of houses with apartments, standard housing and a range of community facilities which have been included to enable social cohesion to bed down, take root and develop.

There are dangers in this development and I will bring one to the Minister's attention, namely, the danger that investor-led developments will take hold and make it extremely difficult for an area like Ballymun to settle down. As a template for what can be done by a local authority working with a local community, there is probably no better model available. Sometimes we are inclined to reinvent the wheel on housing issues but we have now seen what is possible.

I referred to multi-annual budgets which have enabled affordable housing to flourish. The involvement of voluntary housing organisations in the housing programme, while an interesting development, has delivered only patchy success. I caution against an over-reliance on the capacity of housing organisations to deliver significant elements of the programme. I may be old fashioned but I have a degree of confidence in the ability of local authorities to deliver housing programmes.

Local politicians must show courage by taking decisions to ensure they are delivered. I derive no pleasure from reading that certain local authorities in the Dublin area, of which Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is one, only manage to meet between 50% and 60% of the targets set for them. While it is fine to preach about what should be done, we all have a backyard and if we are not prepared to take a stand and provide political leadership, we cannot blame everyone else for what is or is not happening.

Housing for the elderly must be a priority. Dublin City Council has led the way in making schemes available for people who wish to move from standard three-bedroom family homes into sheltered housing, which is an unfortunate term, but I cannot think of a better one. Good quality accommodation is provided under these programmes, including, for example, at Albert College Court beside Dublin City University, Kildonan Court which recently came on stream and Griffith Heights, another scheme comprising a mix of 66 affordable homes and developments for senior citizens. Twenty-two or 23 of the housing units in the Griffith Heights scheme will be released for letting to people on the housing list.

It is vital that careful consideration is given to the needs of the elderly. It is estimated that the number of elderly households will increase from 440,000 in 2002 to almost 800,000 in 2025. Improvements in health and lifestyle will result in an increase in life expectancy, with the proportion of elderly people aged over 75 years also estimated to increase significantly. Government policy has traditionally been to help elderly people to live in their own homes for as long as possible, often with assistance from friends and families. For these reasons, it will be important to knit together the areas of health and housing. In this respect, I commend the Acting Chairman, Deputy Cowley, on the initiatives in which he has been involved in the west. They have made an impact on provision of housing for the elderly and many more are needed.

In 2004, in reference to the needs of the elderly, the Irish Council for Social Housing noted its finding that sheltered housing had been successfully developed by non-profit housing associations since the 1980s, with more than 7,000 homes constructed, many of which were provided with on-site support. In my constituency, the area I know best, Respond Housing Association, a highly respected organisation, has built senior citizen accommodation and apartments which allow people who are not capable of independent living to reside in a secure setting, which families can visit from time to time, while benefiting from nursing supervision, supplied meals and so forth.

Traveller accommodation is another area which is dear to my heart. Although Traveller accommodation plans have been exciting, delivery has been patchy to say the least. The sooner we grasp the nettle that good quality accommodation must be provided in all local authority areas, the better. The latest figures I have been able to access from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government indicate that 788 Traveller families are still living on the side of the road. While this is an improvement on the figure of 1,200 in 1999, we still have a long way to go. Crowding large numbers of families on to housing or halting sites is not the correct approach. I understand 323 families share basic facilities with other families, while 352 families are in emergency and temporary facilities. Radical approaches to Traveller housing are needed.

One area of Traveller housing need is just beginning to emerge. Built in the mid to late 1960s, Avila Park in my constituency is one of the oldest Traveller sites in the country. Thankfully, a number of residents in the development, mainly women, have survived into their 70s and now need housing tailored to this late stage in their lives. I am not sure much consideration has been given to this requirement as the number of people involved is not significant. While the option taken in Avila Park might not work elsewhere, building a traditional granny flat beside an existing Traveller family house is a possibility. It is clear, however, that older Travellers do not necessarily want to move into sheltered housing accommodation built for members of the settled community. This objective may become possible but remains some way off.

I compliment the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, on the work he has done and pay special tribute to my constituency colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Noel Ahern, who has been extremely proactive in the area of housing development.

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