Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this proposal. Of course, we are all aware that supply is key. We are waiting for it to come into the market and that is a major problem. It is slow, and we must acknowledge that. If we do, we can try to work together to make it happen more quickly. However, there are issues we can deal with immediately. I have been in contact with the Minister's office on a number of them.

The HAP and rent supplement payments are causing homelessness. The Minister said that rents have increased by 0.4% in Kildare. The problem is that the rent for a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Kildare is €1,500 and the HAP payment for the family unit to accommodate the house is approximately €1,250, so there is a gap. The family has a choice, either to remain homeless or to get supports from their family to acquire the house. When they bring the letters of guarantee from family members to support them in getting off the street they are not accepted by the local authority under the Department's guidelines. That means they remain homeless. These are issues that could be dealt with immediately to help people in the short term to move from homelessness into a temporary home.

We know people on the social housing lists are not being offered houses because there are few available. However, what about people who do not qualify to go on the social housing list? They are marginally outside it because of means. They are in no man's land. They want to provide for themselves but they are unable to access credit or funds to purchase a house. The home loan the Minister mentioned is not working. Statistics show there is a very slow uptake of it and very few approvals.

Development of local authority land is key. The local authorities own large landbanks in my county and other counties that could help to deliver affordable housing. The local authorities already own the land and the Government could borrow on the European markets at a little over 0%. That would contribute to bringing down the cost of the houses.

I wish to make a final point. The reason the private sector is slow is because of the planning process, which the Minister suggests is helping and fast-tracking it.

I have spoken to people in the private sector and if they are applying to An Bord Pleanála for more than 100 units it is taking 14 months from start to finish. I can prove that and give the Minister the statistics to back it up. They are also having difficulty accessing credit.

The Minister knows that LIHAF is slow and not working. He knows it is not providing the funding for the land that needs to be opened up for development. We have proof of that in my constituency of Kildare North and it is true nationally. It is not working and not delivering at the rate intended.

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