Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment a1:

To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following:

“acknowledges that the economic downturn and contraction in construction activity since 2008 has created significant difficulties for many communities and individuals across Ireland;

recognises the high priority which the Government has assigned to housing and homelessness issues, particularly in the housing policy statement published in 2011 and the homelessness policy statement published in 2013;

recalls that the Government, in its housing policy statement, recognised that a radically different approach to the provision of social housing was necessary as the prevailing financial parameters would not facilitate a return to large-scale capital funded local authority housing construction programmes in the short to medium term;

recognises that, with the more limited resources available, the main focus in terms of housing supports provided by Government must be on meeting the most acute needs of those unable to provide for their accommodation from their own resources;

in terms of overall funding and delivery of housing supports, welcomes:

— the fact that some €575 million is being provided by the Government in respect of the housing programme in 2014, effectively maintaining funding for housing at 2013 levels;

— the announcement by the Minister of State with special responsibility for housing and planning of the intention to return to mainstream local authority housing construction in 2014 and, in particular, the announcement of a €100 million construction programme over 2014-2015 that will enable local authorities to construct approximately 600 new social homes;

— the provision of a €15 million funding stream to bring vacant and boarded up local authority units back into use, which will provide some 950 homes for families on housing lists;

— the Government’s intention to publish shortly the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014, which, when enacted, will provide a legislative basis for the new housing assistance payment, which will be of significant benefit to long-term recipients of rent supplement; and

— the fact that through the social housing leasing initiative, the rental accommodation scheme, acquisitions and construction programmes, mortgage to rent arrangements and the continued transfer of National Asset Management Agency units, Government supports will result in the delivery of some 5,000 social housing units in 2014;

in terms of addressing homelessness:

— welcomes the Government’s commitment to end long-term homelessness by 2016;

— supports the adoption of a housing-led approach to tackling homelessness, which involves access to permanent housing combined with appropriate ongoing support, as a core aspect of the Government’s homelessness policy statement;

— welcomes the ring-fencing of Government funding for homeless services in budgets 2013 and 2014, in support of the discharge by local authorities of their statutory role in the provision of accommodation for homeless persons; and

— notes the intention to bring forward to Government, in the coming weeks, a structured, practical implementation plan for the homelessness oversight group’s first report;

in terms of the private rented sector:

— recognises that the sector is an increasingly important element of the housing market, with approximately one in five households now renting their home in the private sector;

— recognises that resolution of the housing supply situation is a key element in restoring stability to the rental market;

— acknowledges that the growing evidence of increasing rents, particularly in Dublin, is a cause for concern but notes that, on average, rents in Dublin are still 15.5 per cent lower than they were at their peak in the fourth quarter of 2007;

— welcomes the Minister of State with special responsibility for housing and planning’s request to the Private Residential Tenancies Board, PRTB, to carry out research that will explore options to address the difficulties being experienced in segments of the private rented sector and report back with policy recommendations in that regard before the end of June;

— notes that the Government will be introducing legislative provisions for a deposit protection scheme on Seanad Committee Stage of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 which will eliminate the practice of landlords illegally withholding deposits and contribute to the ongoing regulation and development of the rental market; and

— notes that deposit protection and rent arrears cases taken together represent almost 70 per cent of all disputes referred to the PRTB and that the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 will provide an effective and efficient solution to these two significant issues;

in relation to the approved housing body, AHB, sector:

— welcomes the publication in July 2013 of ‘Building for the Future’, a voluntary regulation code for the AHB sector, which sets out key governance, management and financial principles that AHBs commit to meeting on signing a charter of commitments;

— notes that the Government is currently in consultation with the AHB sector regarding the development of a regulatory framework to support the expanded role for the sector as envisaged in the Government’s housing policy statement; and

— welcomes the proposal in the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 to extend the remit of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to AHB dwellings, thereby extending the same rights and obligations that are afforded to landlords and tenants in the private rented sector to those in the AHB sector;

acknowledges that, while the Department of Social Protection is aware of reports of the problem of illegal top-ups to rent supplement, no evidence showing widespread incidence has been presented;

agrees that the most appropriate way of addressing the rights issue in relation to housing is to:

— continue the various programmes and fiscal incentives currently in place;

— secure the necessary level of funding to support them;

— review their operation on an ongoing basis to ensure that they are meeting their objectives; and

— put in place new programmes or measures as required;

supports the Government’s commitment to continue to develop innovative and sustainable approaches to the provision of social housing in the future including through the development of a social housing strategy during 2014; and

welcomes Government steps to address the challenges in the property and construction sectors, including:

— developing an overall strategic approach to housing supply;

— identifying and implementing relevant improvements in the planning process, including Part V;

— seeking to improve financing options for development and mortgage provision; and

— the development of a national construction sector strategy to be finalised shortly.”

I wish to share time with Deputies Mulherin and Ann Phelan.

Opposition Members have referred to the fact that there are approximately 90,000 people on waiting lists but that list was growing steadily during the Celtic tiger era when there were huge sums of money in the country and the houses were not constructed.

See this speech in context