Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I take this opportunity to wish the Minister of State, Deputy Paudie Coffey, well in his new role. I begin by reminding Deputy Anthony Lawlor that what he described as fairy tale economics were costed by the Department of Finance. His constituents would be far better served if he used his time to address the housing crisis rather than trying to score cheap political points.

This Government has carried the mantle laid down by its Fianna Fáil and Green Party predecessors in government. The austerity-driven agenda that promotes privatisation over socially beneficial and progressive policy has led us to another crisis. It is a crisis that is detrimental to communities and families all across the State. We are talking about real people experiencing real hardship. We have heard of people living in their cars, families living in hotels with no cooking facilities, people moving from couch to couch and, in some cases, finding themselves on the streets, sleeping in dangerous alleyways with nowhere else to go. We have heard of people living in ill-suited and cramped temporary accommodation with no idea when or if they will find somewhere permanent to live. These are people in desperate circumstances, whose lives have changed because of the policies enacted by this and previous Governments. They are paying the cost of the financial crisis while those at the helm have escaped relatively unscathed.

The average rent across the State is a staggering €915 per month, which is nearly twice what the average worker is taking home per week. Coupled with a generally high cost of living, especially in urban areas, these rents are making life very hard for people and have left many with no choice but to seek emergency accommodation. A significant increase in the number of local authority homes and the imposition of rent controls are a must. There can be no delay with these measures as rent prices are spiralling out of control. A long-term housing plan is a necessity to help struggling families keep a roof over their head.

The Government's relative inaction on this issue is astounding and disgraceful. Consistent refurbishment and renewal of existing social housing and long-term investment in new building projects led by local authorities would go a long way toward curbing the crisis. We cannot, nor should we ever have, relied on private landlords to plug a hole in the housing shortage. Landlords in pursuit of profit are not the people in whose hands this issue should lie. The Government, elected by the people of this State, is best equipped to resolve the crisis and is mandated to do so. The private rented sector is not the solution to the current housing crisis. It has not delivered an adequate number of homes, has failed to offer protection to tenants and has only led to economic instability.

I will give some examples to show the extent to which people are suffering. A constituent in my area who had three children was housed by a voluntary housing body. Due to her growing family - now comprising six children - she requested a transfer to a more suitable home. Unfortunately, the voluntary housing body was not in a position to provide an alternative housing arrangement for her as its housing stock is very limited. When she wrote to the local authority whose list she had been on previously to request that she be transferred elsewhere, the response was that the responsibility to house her now lay with the voluntary body. This is a case of someone living in an unsustainable environment and whose housing needs are not being met. There should be provisions in place to ensure people like this are not left in limbo.

Another constituent who was availing of the rental accommodation scheme, RAS, was asked if she wanted to remain within it. She had been living in her home for four years and her two children were attending school in the local village. When she expressed her intent to stay under the scheme, she could not secure a guarantee that she could continue living in the house, as the landlord wished to sell it. This person was told that she may not be able to stay in the village she had lived in for four years because of the difficulty in acquiring similar accommodation. Uprooting two children and being forced to move out of the community is not an acceptable or sustainable practice. Will the Government claim this is an acceptable way for this person to live her life, without stability and permanency? Constantly on the move from house to house, place to place, unable to set down roots and never having a home?

Unfortunately, these are not isolated cases. Many families find themselves in similar situations. The State is in the midst of the most severe housing crisis in its history, with 100,000 people languishing on housing lists. Local authorities must build an adequate supply of housing which is maintained by those councils and let out to members of the public at an affordable rent. I urge colleagues to support this motion.

See this speech in context