Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Despite the Minister of State's assurances, this is a counter revolution. I made the point strongly that the effective privatisation of housing started under Fianna Fáil, as she acknowledged, but that the change wrought by this provision is that what was held to be a temporary measure will become a permanent measure. If Members listen carefully to what the Minister of State said, it will not just be down to the interpretation of county managers. She let the cat out of the bag because she said this will be deemed to be social housing and then people can apply for a transfer - that is, once a client is in one of these arrangements, he or she is off the housing waiting list. I am certain that is what she just said. One can apply for a transfer but one will be off the list and that is the counter revolution because that means privatised, outsourced social housing to landlords and the market will be deemed to be the same as being in a council house. However, it is not. This legislation suggests that it is and it is the legal underpinning for the wholesale outsourcing and privatisation of social housing because privatised social housing will be deemed to be the same as a council house. The counter revolution is in that sleight of hand.

There is further reason to believe this will be the case. When RAS was set up, applicants were told they would be on the scheme for four years and at the end of that time, they would get a council house. Then a directive issued as a result of a policy document produced by the Government in 2012, which said if one was on the RAS, one was deemed to be housed. There was murder. The clients were put on a fixed transfer list but everybody will be taken off the list at the end of four years. That is what this does. The reason I did not table an amendment to the section is I was sleeping outside the council offices, which we all end up having to do, if we do not do something about this on Thursday and Friday. If what we are alleging is not true, the Minister of State should insert the word "temporary" in the Seanad and give us an assurance that this provision will be temporary and that people who take up the HAP arrangement will not be taken off the waiting lists. If she does that, our concern will be addressed.

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