Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed that the Minister with responsibility for housing, Deputy Simon Coveney, is not here to respond to the questions. I wanted to ask him if he was aware that there are 54 acres of council-owned land banks for social housing in County Louth that have lain idle for the past ten years, barren of any social housing provision. Furthermore, the council is paying €3 million per year in interest only on those land banks. That €3 million is taken out of the council's budget every year, which directly affects service provision such as housing maintenance, extensions for people with disabilities, etc.

I do not know if the Minister of State is aware that there are 4,851 people on the housing list in County Louth. There are also 1,000 people with no other option but to go onto the housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme. For the first time ever in County Louth, there is a 100% increase in homelessness. Two years ago, one person was registered as homeless. As of last week, 100 people are homeless. That is 100 people without a roof over their head who are lying in doorways or without any shelter or park they can find coming into the winter and Christmas. When that total is combined, we are talking about almost 6,000 people. It is fair to say that the Government allowed this crisis to develop. For the six years it has been in government, it has done little or nothing about it and the crisis has now developed into an emergency.

I tabled a parliamentary question to the Minister some weeks ago asking the amount of council land banks for social housing in each county across the State. The response was telling because it stated: "My Department does not hold the data requested by the Deputy." The same Minister for housing launched a policy document, Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, in July. One would imagine the first thing any Minister would do in the midst of a housing emergency would be to do a search of all local authorities to find out the number of council-owned land banks that were sitting idle, waiting for funding to build social housing. It is clear from that reply that the Government has no intention of rolling out a proper social housing building programme and that it is developer led.

I am extremely disappointed that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is not here, but I ask the Minister of State what commitment will be given to local authorities across the State, but in particular to Louth where 6,000 people are on the housing list, to fund local authorities to provide social housing on those council owned land banks that are deemed for social housing but which are lying idle in the midst of a housing emergency.

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