Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

Before the commencement of the debate on the Private Members' Bill, I stated that the rent allowance was supposed to be a short-term fix rather than a long-term solution. RAS was supposed to be short-term fix. The implementation of HAP, as regards what landlords will get it, is very much based on RAS where one can work when paying with rent allowance. The landlord will get the money directly paid to him or her.

However, there is a real problem that there is the same supply. What landlord will go into the HAP when they already have the RAS? Landlords are pulling out of the RAS anyway. It is impossible for tenants who are in RAS to get alternative RAS provision. That is the problem that we have to address. I do not understand why we are not doing so. Even though it formed part of the programme for Government, it did so when the parties in government did not realise the extent of the housing crisis. As Fr. Peter McVerry has said, it is a tsunami. If we had a tsunami tomorrow, we would have to find the money to build infrastructure again to rebuild the city. We are seeing the same in the homeless crisis. It is a tsunami. Where there is a tsunami, we have to find the funding to rebuild homes for those who have lost the roof over their heads.

The idea of holding a review in six months is important so that we see whether this HAP is having any impact, as I do not think it will. At the end of the day, the Government is still relying on the market where Mr. Wilbur Ross is pumping money in to supply investment for housing land. He would not be going into that market if he did not think he would get a big return on it. We must be wary about what has happened in the last period of time. Unless the Government addresses the question of housing being market driven rather than there being a strategy and it being provided as a need, we will be looking at more hapless situations, such as this, or further legislation.

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