Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill from Deputy Jan O'Sullivan and the Labour Party and confirm that it is Fianna Fáil's intention to support it and to impress upon the Government the need to address this matter within the existing Housing Act. The reference to the State's intention to house applicants - the primary applicant and those who normally reside with him or her - is something that needs to be amended and we accept the need to do so. We are also conscious of recent motions of a similar nature that came before the House and referred to the European Social Charter and housing. The Government gave a commitment, not only on foot of a motion that was then before the House but also in its programme for Government, that those items be brought before the relevant committees with a view to advancing that issue. The purpose of this commitment is to ensure that, in the context of the various mentions within our Constitution of housing and, in particular, to the family and children, the State is unified in its approach so that there might be no contradiction within the Constitution regarding these matters. The 1916 Proclamation and the later Declaration of Independence refer to civil liberties and equal rights for all and to cherishing our children. Unfortunately, that is not borne out in the figures for homelessness, particularly the 3,000 children not to mention the other 5,000 people in emergency accommodation who find themselves in this terrible predicament.

There have been many debates here since this Dáil was formed. The Government's first task was the establishment of an all-party committee on housing to make recommendations to the then Minister, Deputy Coveney, regarding his efforts to bring forward a document, having consulted various stakeholders, that was reflective of this. As was often said, it was a very worthwhile process. There was good engagement with the relevant sectors, stakeholders and ourselves and recommendations emanated from our committee, many of which were taken on board and many of which were not. It is the right and duty of Government to do as it wishes in that regard. There was a period of reflection, the process had a chance to bed down and there was an opportunity for that policy to become a reality and for action to reflect the rhetoric spoken at the time. Members on all sides of the House always said that it was about implementation and the Minister driving the Department, the Department driving local authorities and local authorities being beholden to the representatives in an effort to address this issue. I was not unique in that regard.

Unfortunately, the figures have consistently got worse so it is our duty to bring forward proposals and offer solutions and initiatives. It is the duty of Government to recognise its failure, not to seek to give the impression, as was the case in recent days, that the figures, as stark as they are, are somehow normal. They cannot and should not be construed as normal. They should only serve as a means to redouble our efforts to ensure that the commitment which has been given on many occasions is honoured, that schemes relating to affordability or rapid-build units are honoured, that commitments relating to this process yield results and that people are held to account.

We are at the coalface in respect of this matter by virtue of the constituency clinics we hold on a regular basis and the large numbers of representations we receive from people who find themselves in terrible and unfortunate predicaments. I refer to those individuals who are living in rented private accommodation, those who are in receipt of HAP from the State, those who are languishing in the homes of their families or friends, those who are couch surfing, etc. The Government has tried to give the general population the impression that this is somehow normal when one compares and contrasts matters as per an OECD report, on the first page of which it is stated that it should not to be used for the purpose of comparing the situation in different countries because many of the methodologies used to gather the data in the various countries are different. It might be a report compiled this year but if we look at the material relating to Ireland, we can see that the 2015 figures are used and that the report does not take account of many circumstances in which people who are homeless or who are seeking help and assistance from the State find themselves. It belittles those who spoke in favour of that being normal. When one hears Fr. Peter McVerry or Brother Kevin Crowley on the radio earlier today expressing the frustration and anger they feel, it only serves to remind us that we need a much more inclusive approach and an understanding and recognition of failings in this area.

The Taoiseach spoke at his party's conference the weekend before last about his and his party's ability to be inclusive and work with other parties to ensure they achieve results. In the same week he gave that speech, the House suggested a way to deal with the lack of inspection of private accommodation by local authorities following the overcrowding issue highlighted on "Prime Time". The majority of the House supported the introduction of a new mechanism, such as an NCT-style system in which local authorities would be funded to vet properties for health and safety issues, fire safety and adherence to planning and building regulations. The Government did not agree with that. The Taoiseach should practice what he preaches and take on board the suggestions coming from the majority of the House. He would then be in a position to tell the electorate the Government has been as inclusive as one would expect it to be considering the convoluted composition of the Dáil and that it acts in accordance with an agreement between the two major parties to pursue various objectives in our economy and society and that results emanate from that. To date we have not seen that. I am only taking five minutes of the time allocated to my party so I do not have enough time to go through all I have proposed since the Dáil came into being or more recently.

I was led to believe that €245 million was spent on social housing by local authorities up to 1 November 2017. I need the Minister to tell me how many units it delivered. If it was 1,000, as was indicated, it could not correlate to €245,000 per unit. We can compare it with the likes of the Ó Cualann housing body in Ballymun which can get State land for €1,000 a site and offer houses for sale at €140,000 to €200,000. People ask me what is affordable by today's standards. That is affordable by today's standards. It is something that should be replicated throughout the country. It is the best model and best use of State lands I have heard of to date. Many local authorities have said they have embarked on a path of seeking expressions of interest with regard to how such land can contribute to dealing with the crisis. That has gone on for 12 or 18 months and there has been no progress. In Meath, for example, historically sites were bought at an exorbitant price. When such a site is brought to the market with a view to providing social and affordable units, the unit cost has to be recouped. In that instance we are starting at €100,000 and that is replicated again throughout the country. I cannot go into greater detail on this Stage of the Bill. However, I support the content of the Bill and the good faith behind it. I hope all parties and none can come together to ensure the Housing Act to which the Bill refers will reflect the needs of children and families, which are of various natures these days, and that local authorities are given the authority to prioritise that in housing.

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