Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply and welcome the fact that he has given a clear commitment that the Cabinet committee will meet regularly regarding this very important issue. I represent two very rural counties and the largest number of representations received by me, and I am sure by my fellow public representatives, day in and day out relate to housing. Unfortunately, there are individuals and families in rural and urban Ireland living in bed and breakfast accommodation and hotel rooms, which is far from satisfactory.

There has been quite an amount of public commentary about possible incentives relating to housing in the forthcoming budget. Have impact assessments been carried out on the various incentives that might be introduced? If they have been undertaken, do such assessments give a clear answer that such incentives will considerably increase supply? The programme for a partnership Government also contained a commitment to planning reforms that would be undertaken immediately and implemented incrementally. Has there been any progress on that?

In the previous Dáil, we often heard the Taoiseach talk about the provision of additional much-needed housing stock using modular builds. Unfortunately, that did not happen. The previous Government identified modular building as a key way of increasing housing stock quickly and at affordable rates. As it turns out, the houses have not been provided and they will not be nearly as cost-effective as was originally thought.

The Taoiseach is well aware of housing assistance payment, HAP, provisions and the fact a person is removed from the social housing list when they go on the HAP scheme.

That they will no longer be on the social housing list discourages people who are in urgent need of housing from availing of the HAP scheme. While there has been some commentary on the transfer, in reality people are removed from the traditional social housing list when they avail of the HAP scheme.

The action plan which the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, recently published does not give clear targets for how many social houses will be new, that is, how many new builds will arise from the action plan. There is a great need to increase social housing considerably. Only 9% of Ireland's housing stock is social housing compared with the EU average of 17%. We have a considerable way to go to reach the EU average. Could progress be make quickly on restoring to habitable condition houses that have been left vacant by local authorities? This should be the quickest way of bringing homes back into use for the many families which are desperate for accommodation.

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