John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today's demonstration clearly shows the public's concern with the housing crisis, but probably much more important, its concern with the lack of resources and of achievement in implementing the various programmes. We in the Oireachtas have known since the election of the Thirty-second Dáil that there has been a housing crisis. That is why the elected Members of this Dáil established an all-party committee to address the issue of housing and homelessness before the formation of the Government, which is a very unusual thing to have happened. That committee met over a two-month period and formulated a very comprehensive report. Many of the items that were in that report are reflected in the motion before the House, and in this regard I am very happy to support it. It was a collaborative report which found almost unanimous agreement from all the members, with one dissenting voice, and it is regrettable that with the passage of time the report was not developed and implemented in its entirety. Instead, we find ourselves where we are today.

The report was published on 17 June. The following month the Government launched its policy, Rebuilding Ireland. I acknowledge that many, though not all, of the actions in Rebuilding Ireland flowed from the committee's report. During the debate on Rebuilding Ireland, I said that while many of the recommendations from the committee's report were to be found in Rebuilding Ireland, it had the capacity, if implemented effectively, to have a significantly positive impact. As we enter the third year of Rebuilding Ireland, I regret to say it has not had the impact that was anticipated, and the question must be asked why. It is simply not good enough to say the plan is not working. We should be saying that the Government is failing to implement the plan in full in accordance with the timelines it set itself. The Minister and the Taoiseach frequently highlight some of the targets that have been achieved and, quite frankly, that is not good enough. Rebuilding Ireland was not a selective piecemeal document. Rather, it was a holistic approach aimed at all aspects of housing and homelessness. Every time the Minister is questioned here, he gives specific figures. It is not good enough. Every element of the housing market impacts on every other element, so if houses are bought from the private sector to put into social housing, it takes away from opportunities for first-time buyers. It is very important that there is openness and transparency in this regard.

I refer specifically to the very first action in Rebuilding Ireland. Action No. 1 was to address homelessness and to build 1,500 rapid-build houses. They were to have been completed by the end of 2018. As we approach the latter end of 2018, there are only a few hundred. Had these houses been built in accordance with the Government's own plans, we would not be saying today that there are nearly 10,000 people homeless. That figure would be significantly reduced.

While other areas in the plan have gone ahead, the fact is that the Minister is missing some of his own key targets. He introduced the repair and leasing scheme, which had great potential but is simply not delivering what he expected it to deliver. I do not blame him for introducing it. When something is not working, however, one must adapt with speed to amend it and try to make it work. It is all well and good for the Minister to say he is doing so. The scheme has been around-----

See this speech in context