Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

They are not.

Another imaginative solution involves rent allowance. Last year the Department of Social Protection provided a briefing for members in the AV room on the great changes it was introducing to the rent allowance scheme. I acknowledge that this issue does not fall within the remit of the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, but perhaps she might bring my comments to the attention of the Minister for Social Protection. Last year I checked the Daft.iewebsite for accommodation to rent in County Donegal for a single person whose rent allowance was €300 per month. There were only four properties available to the person concerned. When I checked again this morning, there were still only four properties available in County Donegal to persons within that rent limit. When I raised the issue with officials of the Department of Social Protection, the response was that if such persons were to make top-up payments, they would be committing fraud. Like every other Member of the House, I have advised individuals seeking accommodation and in receipt of rent allowance that to secure a house, they will need to make a top-up payment. The response of the Department, however, is that in so doing they are defrauding the system. The problem is not that individuals are defrauding the system but rather that the system introduced by the previous Government and continued by the current Government has resulted in the creation of a black market for landlords who are only recording on the rent allowance form rent equal to the limit for the area, with tenants having to top up these payments with cash to the landlords to ensure they have somewhere to live. This system needs to be changed urgently. I ask that the Minister of State bring this message to the attention of the Minister for Social Protection.

The only solution to the problem is to roll out a massive construction programme. The motion calls for the construction of 10,000 houses per annum in order to meet some of the demand. That is the only solution to the problem. The Government needs to come to terms with this and come up with more imaginative solutions. Looking to the private sector to address the issue is not the answer. It will not provide solutions for the 90,000 dependent on the Government to help them in providing a home for their families, which is a basic human right. The Government needs to recognise this and step up to the mark straightaway.

See this speech in context