Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

9 o’clock

Most Members' contributions were to the effect that the plans are reasonable, they contain targets but can it happen. The difference between this plan and other plans is that it involves a whole-of-Government approach involving many Departments. It involves consultation with stakeholders, agencies and all the different players. That is the same process we followed in the Action Plan for Jobs process. Some Members will be familiar with that but others are not. The Action Plan for Jobs process worked. It set targets that nobody thought could be achieved, and it went way beyond those targets. Why did that happen? It was not because of magic by the Government but because there was buy-in by the private sector and all Departments. It became priority No. 1. Everybody's focus was on creating jobs and now, through this plan, everybody's focus is on building both social and private houses and finding solutions for people who are homeless and living in emergency accommodation. There is a focus and a drive and that is backed up with actions, timelines, ownership and real cash. That is why I have no doubt this plan can work. In fact, I believe it will go beyond its targets. We will monitor that and make an adjustment if needs be; it is an ongoing process. There are more ideas out there that we have not captured in this plan. We have to try to find them and include them also.

In taking this approach, we have the dual objective of repairing the broad housing system while at the same time providing real solutions for people. For this reason, I was most pleased with the responses to the plan that referenced the fact that, for the first time, Government was looking at housing in its entirety. That is really at the heart of this plan. It is all the solutions in one document containing approximately 84 actions. It is a focus that can make that happen.

To restore the housing system to a sustainable level we need to deal with all the component parts. We looked under the bonnet of each sector and market of housing and came up with key actions to help repair what is broken or what can be done more effectively in each. That is why we have the five pillars to set out the areas we will try to tackle in different ways.

On homelessness, we have set a clear target to have no families in hotels by mid-2017, except in very limited circumstances. I hope we will get ahead of that target but that is a realistic timeframe in which to address that and we will do it. We have to do it because it is not acceptable in this day and age to have families living in hotels and emergency bed and breakfast accommodation. It is not appropriate either to have homeless people living on the streets but there is a combination of reasons for that and different solutions required. Real involvement on the part of different Departments is required to address that, which we will do over time. The challenge in terms of ending people living in emergency accommodation is to provide alternatives and trebling the rapid build programme to 1,500 homes is the key action to make that happen. As I stated, it is an additional 200 this year, 800 next year and the rest the year after, so it will happen. We have learned from the initial process and we can make this happen much quicker.

In the meantime, we will ensure that services for families, and particularly children, in hotels and other emergency accommodation is far better including enhanced liaison on family support, child welfare and child protection, including family resource centres; access to early-years services; school completion programmes; enhanced locally available practical supports for daily family life; access to free public transport for family travel and for school journeys, which is essential; and practical supports and advice for good nutrition for those without access to cooking facilities. It is difficult to cover all the basics in one's own kitchen in terms of providing good food but we accept that it is even more difficult when one is living in a hotel.

The other side of this debate is people who are rough sleeping, which is often compounded and tied in with mental health and addiction issues. This is a complex area that requires co-operation with the Department of Health, the Health Service Executive and others. For that reason, we are trebling the funding for mental health and primary care services for homeless persons from €2 million to €6 million in budget 2017. That is an appropriate response to try to determine how we can help these people get into a position where they can live in a home with support, with sheltered support or on their own and try to deal with the various issues that add to their problems.

In examining the social failing that is homelessness, one point was made again and again - prevention is far better than cure. We are therefore targeting families and individuals worried about, or at risk of, being put out of their home or their rent agreement being finished - people who are worried that they will not have a roof over their heads. We will do that through an awareness campaign and the Tánaiste who is sitting beside me has brought forward a new facility, backed up with additional money and resources, to try to help people work through their arrears and mortgage difficulties, stay in their home and build more trust in that system. We will try to get people to engage with the banks. I am not saying the banks are saints but if someone will not engage it is difficult to help them. It is difficult even to pinpoint their bank for a solution if the person will not engage. We have to try to encourage that, and the efforts of the Tánaiste, through the service, are to encourage that engagement and work through solutions.

Our Department is in charge of the mortgage to rent scheme, which I believe has failed. I would have thought it was a solution for thousands of people. It has been tweaked in recent months. We will change it again. We have looked at new ideas and will try to bring in more investors' money as it is well to put more money in the pot. I believe that a new version of the scheme which we will roll out shortly containing new ideas can greatly impact on people and give them a choice, in terms of deal with their arrears and a mortgage they might never be able to afford in the future, to stay in their home. In my view the scheme was not explained properly and if we believe in the scheme we should back it up. That will help many people deal with their problem of debt while staying in their home. I look forward to that working in a better way because I believe it is a solution that is appropriate and fair and protects the family home. I hope we will be able to work on that through the committees also in the weeks and months ahead.

The link between a lack of sufficient social housing and homelessness is clear. The lack of social housing options is also putting pressure on the rental sector, with one third of renters now supported by the State. Again, the target is very clear – 47,000 new social housing homes by 2021 at a cost of €5.35 billion.

I mentioned the figures earlier but it is worth clarifying them once and for all because there is confusion or doubt about them and I would hate for the wrong information to be given because it makes my life difficult when I am trying to get on a radio programme. On the money side, the Social Housing Strategy 2020,published in November 2014, committed to the delivery of some 35,600 social housing units in the period 2015 to 2020, supported by investment of some €3.8 billion.

The social housing element of Rebuilding Ireland - an Action Plan launched yesterday proposes a significantly increased level of ambition, aiming for the delivery of 47,000 social housing units through build, refurbishment, acquisitions and leasing over the 2016 to 2021 period supported by an investment of €5.35 billion. A further €200 million is being provided for the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund. The €5.35 billion investment proposed for the social housing area-----

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