Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am just making sure that these boys are on script with us in terms of housing. It is all good. We will be in here again next time in this half of the Chamber.

Housing is a major issue for everybody in politics. People face shortages not only in Dublin, but potentially down the country, largely due to a credit and construction collapse the likes of which has never been seen in the previous history of the State. Supply is the big issue. When one gets builders building again, it is a sign that construction is a consequence of a thriving economy. It is not supposed to lead the economy or to be over 20% of GDP as previous Administrations permitted. In those circumstances, it becomes an unsustainable economic model and a disaster for people's homes. We have ended up with the legacy of negative equity and families living in two-bedroom apartments. We have ended up with situations where people have had to sell their homes and move to rented accommodation.

The Government has taken some steps which I have very much welcomed. Ultimately, however, we need to get supply well and truly increased. For that purpose, I recommend that we look at institutional investors of the type that have been used in most of northern Europe and in Germany and France in particular. Institutional investors look for a low rate of return, are prudent landlords and look for long-term leases because they do not want the difficulty of dealing with short-term lets. They look after large blocks in large urban areas like Dublin, which has a level of property demand with which I do not agree. When I hear non-stop job announcements for Dublin, I ask why so many jobs are focused in Dublin and more are not moved out. IDA Ireland published a statistic this week that 53% of the jobs created in Ireland last year were created outside Dublin. That must increase. There is still housing supply down the country and things are easier there in that there is less density of land use. Dublin has to grow slowly because the inner city does not have the high-rise development it needs.

Ambitious plans are afoot particularly around the social housing strategy set out by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, and in the Labour Party's commitment on the €3.8 billion that has been secured for social housing. Over the past couple of days, we have seen announcements in Tralee, Killarney and other provincial towns, which are welcome. Long lists have been published as the Opposition will point out. Most of the people affected are in rent allowance accommodation at the moment. They are very happy with and integrated into their local societies. They feel part of the communities in which their families have grown up. Had I been the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government five years ago, I would have insisted that houses in negative equity which landlords could not sell were optioned when rent allowance was applied. We were giving landlords a guaranteed cash flow and should have been in a position ultimately to say that when those houses emerged from negative equity, something would go back to the landlords and the residents could stay in them. They would not just be houses but homes for the families set up in them. We see programmes where people are transferred from one part of a city to another but even in small towns like Tralee, people do not want to live too far from their families whether it be for child care purposes, to look after an elderly parent or the need to be in the community or to play GAA.

While a great deal still needs to be done, in a prosperous economy the Labour Party in government will make housing a top priority as it has always been for us. When I was chair of an SPC in Kerry County Council, I put across as many solutions as I possibly could. We have now got to a point where houses which were boarded up previously are being occupied. We are canvassing morning, noon and night and walking into housing estates where, I am delighted to say, we are seeing houses being put back into tenancy for the first time in ten or 20 years.

I welcome the fact that, when I drove to Dublin yesterday, I saw some of the dilapidated properties in Crumlin and Dolphin's Barn being demolished and new ones being raised.

The homelessness crisis cannot be ignored. It is a terrible indictment of society. A significant problem, it was created by a lack of funding and supply. It can be rectified, but only through the passion of the members of the next Government and the allocation of funding. We can do that. I am delighted that there is a motion on this issue. We should work together to solve the problem.

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