Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I dtús báire, ba mhaith liom an Rialtas a mholadh as an sár-obair atá á dhéanamh aige don tír. In particular, I acknowledge the great achievements of the Government in the promissory note deal and in emerging from the bailout. I acknowledge the endurance of the people of this country. I acknowledge the Minister of State's work in the area of mental health, which I greatly appreciate. It is a mark of the work that has been done that we have seen 61,000 new jobs created in the last year. It is only a step towards where we need to be but the Government has put the country in a much better place than it was in when we entered office.

One issue the Government must prioritise between now and the next election is housing. We have a growing housing crisis which we must address as soon as possible. I want to talk about social housing and private housing, both of which are required. There are approximately 90,000 households on waiting lists for housing, partly a result of the improvement in employment. Fundamentally, the waiting lists reflect the fact that the previous Government, which was in office from 1997, spent almost nothing on social housing notwithstanding the fact that it had huge resources at its disposal. It is important to make that point. The previous Government left it to an amateur private tenancy market to look after the needs of people on housing lists. That is manifestly failing. We are left, yet again, having to pick up the tab for the failure of the previous Government to do its work.

It is important to get across the urgency of this situation. Within a mile of where I live there are two hotels which many Deputies pass regularly. They are Bewley's Hotel at Newlands Cross and the Ibis Hotel at the Red Cow and they are full of people who are homeless. It is appalling that they are reduced to living in situations like that. We require a building programme for social housing for the families who need a much more secure system than has obtained to date. A programme will have the advantage of housing those people, building communities and getting unemployed building workers back to work. I acknowledge the issue of finance and note the €100 million which has been set aside for work in this area this year. As the Minister of State with responsibility for housing, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, would acknowledge, it is a fraction of what is required. I urge the Government to do everything in its power to find the extra money required. The pressure is on to a huge extent. Many private landlords are now refusing to take people who are on rent subsidy. In other cases, they are selling or being obliged to sell properties due to debt. There is a real and urgent need. It is therefore important that Part V is maintained and strengthened until such time as we get on top of the crisis.

I recognise that the crisis in housing relates not only to social housing but includes private housing. For the first time in seven years, I saw a major planning application in my county for 250 houses at Saggart. I was delighted to see it, but it is only a fraction of what is required. It is important that the Government in the construction strategy plan on which it is working ensures that there is money for builders to borrow to invest in construction. The Government must also ensure that people who need mortgages can get them. If that side is addressed, it will help to tackle the pent-up demand for private housing that is particularly evident in the greater Dublin area, Cork city, Galway city and various other places. The extent of the problem is demonstrated in relation to greater Dublin by a discussion I had with my colleague, Deputy Jack Wall. He lives in the Athy area, which is 50 miles from Dublin. There is a serious housing problem even there notwithstanding that a great deal of housing was built in the area during the so-called Celtic tiger boom years. It is very important to tackle this issue head on and I urge the Government to do so.

There are other actions which must be taken. We must ensure there is enough land available for housing. All local authorities should be chased to ensure sufficient lands have been zoned. In my county, some land which was zoned as far back as the 1970s remains ready for building. It is important that it is brought into play. There must be an element of imagination in tackling the issue. In city and town centre areas, there is a serious problem of dilapidation and under-habitation of buildings. One can see it when one drives along Cork Street and Thomas Street in Dublin. I was talking to a friend of mine who lives near Bailieborough in County Cavan. He told me that there is only one family still living on Main Street in that town. I have no doubt that situation is happening across the country. Methods to bring life back to those places would help to deal with the issue. A further action which is needed is to ensure that NAMA properties are made available. Even in Dublin, there are NAMA properties which remain unoccupied. The sooner those are made available to people, the better.

In the main, I acknowledge the huge progress the Government has made for the people and I urge it to prioritise housing in both the social and private sectors. We do not want the embarrassment of more people being forced to live in unsuitable accommodation such as hotels and caravans. We must tackle this. After food and water, what is our most basic requirement but shelter? Housing must be a top priority in the years that remain to the Government. It must be tied to the development of jobs. People need places to live and we need to build new communities for those who are waiting for the chance to form families and homes.

See this speech in context