Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In summing up the debate on the Bill we have put before the House, I thank all of the contributors to it. I acknowledge the support voiced by members of all parties, as well as independent Deputies, for the thrust of the Bill and the sentiments contained within it and the willingness on everybody's part to ensure this process can lead to a solution in the short term. I also acknowledge the contributions of Government speakers and the Minister to the debate. I welcome their support for the Bill and their indication that they are willing to work with us on the Bill in order to ensure progress is made in dealing with the matter.

I am not precious about the Bill or what is contained therein. I am not precious about any idea that I bring forward. I am merely reflecting the will of my party and its members in bringing forward credible and constructive solutions to address the terrible housing crisis and acknowledge the contribution of this aspect of housing policy and the positive effect it can have in dealing with the situation we face.

Reflecting on some of the contributions made by various speakers, a common thread throughout the debate was compliance, certification and ensuring standards were not compromised. The Bill and the proposals contained therein will in no way dilute standards or safety precautions in terms of fire certificates and so forth. It will, in fact, enhance standards. What we have, as several other Deputies have confirmed, is a less than 10% level of inspections of properties being used for rental purposes. What we have is self-certification. If people say they are worried about what is contained in the Bill, does that mean that they are happy with thestatus quo? I doubt it. Only today the High Court ordered the closure of what it termed a "fire trap" hostel in Dublin. The attention of the fire officer in Dublin was brought to the hostel in an "RTE Investigates" programme last week. That is the current system and what we are trying to address. I hope people will read the Bill in its entirety, but I reiterate that they can be sure and safe in their own mind that there will be no dilution of standards but their enhancement. I welcome the commitment of the Government to address that issue. It is something that needs to be done as soon as is practicably possible because the last thing we want to see is a repetition on any scale of the terrible incident we witnessed in London in recent months.

I acknowledge the contribution of the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy. He mentioned that a working group in his Department was looking at the technical guidelines and regulations from his Department to local authorities for the refurbishment of existing buildings. I welcome his acknowledgement and that of his Department that the slant is more towards new buildings. It is also welcome that he is seeking to address that issue. He has acknowledged that what is contained within the Bill can help in that regard. It is welcome that there is a willingness on his part to ensure the process will improve the guidelines and regulations in order to ensure there will be standardisation across local authorities in dealing with this issue.

We have heard speakers from various parts of the country and various parties in the past couple of hours, including from counties Offaly, Wicklow, Kildare, Dublin, Meath, Limerick, Galway, Roscommon, Cork, Tipperary and Kerry, and the common thread, to which I also alluded in my own opening remarks, is that this problem is prevalent throughout the country. There is no town or village not scarred by it. The inhabitants of towns, villages and constituencies throughout the country are infuriated, frustrated and more than anxious to see progress. If this can be the start of a new momentum in the workings of this Dáil, it will have been a worthwhile project. The issue has to be addressed.

The day began with the Taoiseach alluding to the announcement by the Minister, Deputy Michael Ring, of the town and village renewal scheme awards throughout the country. Of course, we welcome them as it represents an investment of €26 million. However, despite the fanfare and the plaudits that will be attributed by Government Deputies in the coming days, to be fair and honest, much of the work that will ensue because of the funding being made available is work that local authorities did in their sleep in the past. It will help to improve the aesthetics of various towns. In my constituency last year there was approval for work to be undertaken in Clara, Shannonbridge and Edenderry and that work is about to commence, despite the lateness of the process in ensuring the work would be done. Today we heard about work to be undertaken in Shinrone, Banagher and Geashill, but there are similar towns and villages throughout the country where people are lauding the prospect of enhancement work being undertaken and the provision of money that will help and assist in that regard. It will, of course, improve the aesthetics, but it will not revitalise, regenerate, reinvigorate or repopulate those towns and villages. I was reared in a town centre where I had a hugely enjoyable childhood. There was great vitality and engagement on the streets because people lived at their place of work, but that is no longer the case, including on the street where I grew up. It is initiatives, the provision of assistance and help to streamline the administration process and reduce the costs associated with the revitalisation of buildings that will make a difference in getting people back living in these areas. It is they who will give them new energy, revitalise them and improve the retail trade in them. It is imperative that Government do everything it can in addition to this.

If, for example, it is in the provision of finance to the building sector or to those property owners who wish to undertake this and take advantage of the opportunities that may result of this, then they have to be offered competitive rates that are a lot better than those currently being offered by the banks.

As I said earlier, I hope that a new emphasis and momentum can come out of the budgetary process this year so as to address this. The way the Government has dealt with this issue is the most damning indictment of its performance in recent years. A new momentum and emphasis will have Fianna Fáil's support, however, and that can be realised by making funds available for what is contained in this to work.

I thank everybody for their contributions. I look forward to seeing the Government being true to its word with this Bill, in a way that it has not been recently with other Bills that had the support of this Chamber, by ensuring that it reaches the relevant committee as soon as is practically possible; that the relevant scrutiny then take place; and that there is a willingness from all parties and none to ensure that it gets to Committee Stage thereafter. We can then move along a path where the public can see that this momentum will produce results and action in the end.

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