John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleague, Deputy Cowen, for bringing this Bill to the House. My party and I believe this is a progressive Bill and I hope it will receive support from all sides of the House. As many speakers have said, we have a real longing to own our own homes, which is good. Owning a home offers people security for themselves and their families. It also gives people, and families in particular, a sense of pride and buy-in to the community. My colleagues and I believe people with the willingness, means and support to purchase their own homes should be allowed to do so. The exclusion of Part V houses by the Government from the tenant purchase scheme does the opposite, as it prevents people who wish to become proud owners of their own homes from making that further step in their local communities. It is not an example of the Ireland for all that my party wants to see develop.

We believe families and communities are stronger when people have a place to call their own. We believe allowing tenants in Part V houses the opportunity to buy these houses and make them permanent homes gives everybody involved a greater stake. It encourages families to become more involved in local clubs and activities and it helps the family to become embedded in the community. It signals a commitment to the area. I know in my own local authority in south Dublin, one of the biggest costs is in maintaining local authority housing, as Deputies across the House realise. The costs are absolutely colossal.

I understand there are almost 4,000 households affected by this Part V clause and more than a fifth of these are within the four local authorities in Dublin. There are 80 in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, close to 250 in Fingal, over 250 in south Dublin and close to 300 in Dublin city. It is a total of well over 850 households in Dublin alone that are not being awarded the same opportunity as the many thousands of other families across the country. It is not a fair or equitable approach that is proposed by the Government. By offering these 4,000 households across the country the opportunity for ownership, we will also, critically, be offering them the opportunity for stability and control over their own living environments into the future and free from the constraints of the local authorities. We will be offering them the chance to make their house a home. Allowing a tenant to purchase a house also gives low-income households the right to own a financial asset of significant value, helping low-income householders accumulate wealth. It is a form of economic safety net for them and their families so they can grow, build and integrate into the community.

It is almost ironic that yesterday we had the launch of the Government's housing action plan. As well as getting people out of emergency accommodation and tackling homelessness, it also has plans to help people to purchase their first homes. On the one hand, the Government is making provisions for people to get on the property ladder but on the other it is preventing people from doing so, stigmatising these people in the process. A clear path to home ownership should not be the preserve of the private market. Owning a home provides a vital asset for families and represents a positive transfer of wealth towards low-income groups. We unapologetically subscribe to that. Mixed tenure housing estates are a key part of our vision for strong families and stable, thriving communities. However, the exclusion of Part V houses by the Government in its tenant purchase scheme discriminates against lower income households in mixed communities.

The positive effects this Bill will have on thousands of families across the country more than justifies not just my support, but the support of all the Members in the House. Financially, the Bill allows for the release of equity from the sale of these houses, which may be redistributed and reinvested by the local authorities. There is also the removal of the cost associated with maintenance, which allows the money to be reinvested into new social housing. At this time, when housing and homelessness is one of our major challenges, exclusion is not the answer.

See this speech in context