Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Completions are already ramping up around the country and more than 200 projects have been approved and are under way in various local authorities areas. Only this week I, along with Deputies Halligan and Conway, visited a Government-supported scheme in my city that is being completed by the Respond housing agency that has delivered 57 new units. That is also having a knock-on effect in creating market mobility by creating vacancies in other parts of the city.

I wish to confirm to the Housethat in the region of 5,000 tenancies will have been supported under the housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme this year. That corresponds to the housing needs of 5,000 households that are being met by this scheme. A total of 200 HAP tenancies were set up last week and 300 are scheduled for completion next week. That is significant progress.

It is also necessary to reiterate the Government's position on rent supplement limits. A review of the rent limits earlier this year found that the impact of increasing limits at a time of constrained supply in the private rented market would increase costs disproportionately for the Exchequer with little or no new housing available to recipients. Rather than providing for a blanket increase on rent limits, which would not address the fundamental issue of supply, the Department of Social Protection's preventative policy allows for flexibility in assessing people's individual accommodation needs on a case-by-case basis. Under the Department's tenancy sustainment measures, more than 5,000 rent supplement households have been provided with uplifts and have retained their rented accommodation in the past 18 months.

With regard to rent certainty, the Government is implementing measures aimed at stabilising rents. The most important change is that the minimum period between rent reviews for all tenancies is being increased from 12 to 24 months. That means anyone who has had a rent review in 2015 will not face a rent review again until at least 2017. This intervention will be temporary, pending the restoration of normality in the housing market, an approach that will bring stability and predictability for the tenant, protecting them from the circumstances that currently exist in the rental market.

It is also necessary to reiterate some of the other actions being taken on housing and homelessness. The ministerial direction requiring key local authorities to prioritise the homeless and vulnerable households in the allocation of tenancies under their control is operating successfully. At the end of quarter three in the Dublin region, a total of 739 homeless households had exited homeless accommodation into verified and sustained tenancy arrangements. That compares with a total of 545 exits for homeless households at the same point in 2014.

The direction is a significant factor in the increased level of success.

Deputies should be aware of the Dublin region homelessness pilot scheme in the context of the housing assistance payment. There are positive indications with regard to the enhancements made to the scheme under budget 2016. While the pilot scheme is still in its infancy, it is significant that the number of tenancies secured in the past two months is equal to the total for the preceding nine months.

Last night the Minister reaffirmed his commitment to the significant national programme to return void local authority units to beneficial use. Some 2,333 voids were returned to productive use during 2014 and the expected figure for this year is in the region of 2,500. All of the returned units fall to be allocated under the terms of the direction.

The Opposition has not acknowledged the increase in budget 2016 by the Government in the provision for the homeless budget, an increase of 32%, from €53 million to €70 million. It is incorrect, therefore, to say nothing is being done.

Also public awareness campaigns are playing a crucial role in homelessness prevention. Complementary campaigns have been implemented by the homeless executive, Dublin region, the Department of Social Protection and the Private Residential Tenancies Board. A range of measures, identified in the Government's implementation plan on the State's response to homelessness, continue to be progressed. Some 50% of the 106 measures included in the two plans have been dealt with, with the remaining measures still on track.

It is important in this debate that we have factual information. On the number of rough sleepers - this is an important point - Sinn Féin is conflating the figures. In April there were 106 rough sleepers, which I acknowledge is still far too many. In April 2013 the number was 350. Therefore, the number is reducing.

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