Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on housing and homelessness. As I have stated on many previous occasions, housing is one of the greatest challenges facing the Government and society. From my clinics in Dundalk and surrounding areas, I know housing is one of the most pressing issues facing us. Despite what the Opposition tells us, there is no quick-fix or easy solution nor should this issue be used as a political football to serve the needs of those in opposition who seem to be able to offer everything except a real solution. We need a realistic plan to supply quality housing to a rapidly expanding population. We must learn from the disastrous mistakes of the last Fianna Fáil Government. We must never return to the boom-and-bust policies which got the country into the mess and for which people continue to pay a very heavy price.

Fine Gael has a fully costed, realistic plan to address social housing. We have allocated more than €4 billion between now and 2020 to social housing. In the 2016 budget, we allocated a further €69 million to the housing budget, bringing the total to €414 million. These are real actions that will bring real results. To create a sustainable construction industry that will deliver the housing required, Fine Gael is proposing a number of measures. These include increasing annual housing output to a sustainable level of 25,000 by 2021 and working with housing associations to provide a low-cost rental option for low-income families. Fine Gael also proposes increased tax relief for landlords who accept rent supplement and housing assistance payment, HAP, tenants, protection of renters and the introduction of a deposit retention scheme to be operational by 2017. It also proposes to increase the relevant notice period for compliant tenants in the event of a rent increase or lease termination and to streamline the powers of the Private Residential Tenancies Board, PRTB. Fine Gael proposes to support the concept of home ownership through the tenant purchase scheme to social housing tenants.

These actions alone may not solve the issues. We need to think outside the box and work together to bring new solutions. I call on banks to engage fully with the various county councils to make available vacant houses on their books. These properties are second homes that were initially purchased as investment homes and which are lying vacant and, in some cases, in a state of disrepair. I am working with Joe McGuinness, director of services in Louth County Council, to liaise with the local banks to free up vacant properties in County Louth. Louth County Council has more than 3,900 homes on its books and has recently purchased vacant homes from banks. The many advantages of this approach include an immediate solution to severe housing problems, the provision of employment for those engaged in the restoration or upgrade of the homes and a more even spread of available homes throughout County Louth. It will also prevent houses falling into disrepair.

Another issue that must be resolved is the high rate of refusal by people receiving their first offer of social housing in County Louth, where one in three people refuse their first offer. This is too high and must be addressed. To find a long-term and sustainable solution we must look at all options and explore new ones. As I have previously said, we should examine ways of subsidising or encouraging families to rehouse other family members who are homeless. In some cases, homelessness is a direct result of family issues which, if handled with care and professionalism, might not develop in the first place. We should examine providing more supports that will help families in this situation and try to solve the issue before it develops.

Another area we need to examine is the use of expensive bed and breakfasts and hotels as emergency accommodation. If we were to use private accommodation instead, not only would we achieve substantial savings of approximately €2,750 per family per month, but the quality of living standards for the families would be greatly enhanced.

I will work with anybody, regardless of party affiliation, to find solutions that will bring real results in housing and homelessness. We must work together and I will support any measures that will help solve the issue. A real solution will work only if it prevents homelessness, eliminates the need to sleep rough, eliminates the need for long-term occupation of emergency accommodation, provides long-term housing solutions and ensures effective services. Housing and homelessness is not going to go away unless we can provide a real solution. Everybody in this House has a responsibility to find the solution and eradicate these issues from our society.

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