Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry about that. I do not know whether we are learning lessons. There are approximately 70,000 people on rent supplement and just under 30,000 on the RAS. We have seen what has happened with rent supplement in terms of the number of people now reporting as homeless and the number being put off the housing list and having to seek rent supplement. We learned today that rent supplement will be increased. Obviously, we will now see private landlords further increase prices, but excluding people who take up the housing assistance payment from the housing list does not make sense. That is what we did when the rent supplement scheme was introduced. We said the person would get another RAS property or a house from the local authority, but that has not happened, and even people on the RAS have ended up homeless. That is the reality on the ground.

In terms of what will happen with the HAP, we will reduce the numbers on the waiting lists, but the HAP is not long-term housing. Landlords can decide at some stage to pull the plug, so to speak, whether under the HAP or under the rent supplement scheme. We are dealing now with the HAP, which will go to the local authorities. While there are some merits in the HAP going to the local authorities - because people will be allowed to work, which is a positive move - something similar happened under the RAS in that people were allowed to work but some still became homeless and others were put out of their homes.

We are spending approximately €300 million on rent supplement. We will be doing the same in terms of private landlords, and it will be paid by the local authorities. We should be investing in social housing. We have a crisis which will become worse, with more people coming onto the housing waiting lists. It appears this measure will massage the figures because many people will be taken off the housing waiting list, which is almost 90,000. How many people will come off that list as a result of this measure? It is wrong. It is not permanent housing. It is not giving people the stability they need. People have to live locally and get to schools. It is wrong that we are allowing this to happen. My fear is that it will not change the situation in terms of the way landlords have behaved simply because it will go to the local authorities. In many ways it appears to be a good way forward, but I cannot agree with taking people off the housing list.

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