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

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the housing crisis we have in the State. There is no doubt there is a crisis and we see the levels of homelessness increasing throughout the State, not only in our cities but throughout the country. This crisis has been created by the Government because it has continuously slashed the capital budgets for housing delivery and continuously rejected any form of stimulus as part of a solution and reaction to the recession in which we have been gripped, and has pushed the direction of housing solution into the private sector. This is a catastrophic failure as 90,000 families are on housing lists throughout the country and there is a crisis in every county.

The Government should be rolling out a capital programme encouraging local authorities to establish housing associations so they can do the off-balance-sheet borrowing to deliver a housing programme because local authorities have the expertise, architects, engineers and ability to oversee and they are geared up to be able to deal with the crisis once and for all. It is startling when one sees figures such as that in 1954 the State built 7,000 houses when we were far poorer than we are now in a recession as deep as what we have now. The State lived up to its responsibilities and provided housing for our citizens. Over the past three years the State has built three houses in Donegal, which has a waiting list of more than 4,500 people. It is an absolute disgrace and the Government should roll out a capital building programme because the local authorities are the solution.

As Deputy Clare Daly outlined, the rent allowance caps must be increased because there is no way we should allow to continue what is in effect a black market for landlords whereby tenants dependent on rent allowance must hand over cash payments of which there is no record to make up the rent because they cannot get a property unless they do so. The Minister of State is quite happy to stand over this system and see it continue.

See this speech in context