Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

Not only is the Government's response to the Bill deeply disappointing, it is absolutely disastrous for the 500,000 people affected by the housing and homelessness emergency. We have heard it all before from the Minister and the Minister of State. Phrases such as "live horse and you will get grass" and "believe in your own propaganda" come to mind. The fact is that everybody associated with the homelessness issue in the State knows that Government policy is not working and that it has been an absolute dismal failure. Not only is the Government's policy a failure, Fianna Fáil's policy is also a failure. Fianna Fáil's policy is the policy of Fine Gael and the Government. We have had crocodile tears from Fianna Fáil on vulture funds, mega landlords and developers. I remind it that putting faith in developers, vulture funds and mega landlords is the policy that created the housing and homelessness emergency today. It is time to change it by supporting the Bill.

The Bill is fully constitutional. The measures proposed and the policy outlined in it are specifically outlined in Article 43.2.2° of Bunreacht na hÉireann. The very same principles were used by the last Fine Gael-Labour Party Government in the introduction of the financial emergency measures in the public interest legislation. The question of delimiting private property rights in accordance with the Constitution has been upheld by the courts in respect of Part V of the Planning and Development Act. Citing constitutional difficulties is the last resort of politicians who have failed on all other arguments. That is the fact of the matter. The Government has failed in all other arguments and is now attempting to use the Constitution as an excuse for the absolute failure in this policy area.

I have another criticism. The Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, said that declaring an emergency would not build a single house. Of course, it would not build a single house and nobody has ever suggested it would. I said quite clearly in my introductory remarks that the Bill was specifically to ensure the situation did not get any worse. Everybody involved at the coalface in dealing with the housing and homelessness issues knows that the situation is getting worse and that if we do not take significant and serious measures, it will continue to get worse. As Fr. Peter McVerry said, we will have a housing "catastrophe". The Bill is simply to ensure the situation will not get any worse and give an opportunity to the Government to build social and public housing on public land. That is its effect.

We have been told that the Bill will worsen the crisis, but that is patent nonsense. It is patent nonsense from people who represent the wealthy in our society. The Bill will definitely reduce the price of dwellings and not before time. Even if some landlords did sell, the dwellings would still be in place. That would improve the situation because people would be in a position to buy cheaper dwellings. Landlords who were willing to make a moderate profit could buy. It would also repel the vulture funds that are part of a global demand that artificially drives up house prices and rents to exorbitant levels. The Government has encouraged this global demand with tax and other incentives. Housing should not be a commodity. In any civilised society there should be a constitutional right to housing. Only today in the Irish Independentwe find that mega landlords are using the housing crisis to obtain massive rents through Government-sponsored rental support schemes. The country's largest private landlord, Ires REIT, has almost trebled the number of State-funded social tenancies on its books. The company which recently announced profits of €19 million for the first half of the year stated it had 303 tenants who received State help under the housing assistance payment scheme. This equates to 11% of its total portfolio of 2,678 rental units. This compares with just 4% of its properties being rented to tenants in receipt of State support in 2017.

It has also been claimed by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, in The Sunday Business Postthat completely banning the eviction of mortgage holders would raise mortgage rates for those who did pay. His response is typical of the thinking that created the housing and homelessness crisis.

If there is any threat to the profits of vulture fund, banks and super-rich investors, the Minister immediately declares the Government's intention to allow the banks, finance houses and vulture funds to transfer the burden onto another section of the population. This is despite the fact that the declaration of an emergency in this Bill would give the Government and the Minister all the powers they need to prevent such an occurrence. That is why Members of the Oireachtas must take a hands-on approach to addressing the housing emergency.

The Minister implied that most people would not pay their mortgage without the threat of eviction. That is an insult to the vast majority of mortgage holders. The Minister seems to be prepared to allow mortgage companies to punish compliant mortgage holders for the crisis created by successive Governments, including this Government. This is an emergency. We are facing a catastrophe, as Fr. McVerry said, unless normal commercial rules are set aside. Already, the Government has allowed mortgage rates far exceed the European average. According to the latest figures from the Central Bank, the average interest rate issued for new mortgages in August of this year was 3.15%. This compares with an average rate of 1.77% across Europe. This means Irish mortgage rates are 78% above the European average already and mortgage holders here, who already contributed to the national bailout of banks, are now bailing out the banks a second time. This simply must be stopped. The declaration of an emergency would allow the Minister to prohibit any increase in mortgage rates and enable him to reduce current mortgage rates to average European levels.

This Bill is absolutely necessary. We are experiencing a disastrous housing and homelessness emergency, which needs to be addressed. The evidence tonight is that the Government and Fianna Fáil are not prepared to address it. However, the public will address it. They turned out in massive numbers on 3 October when more than 12,000 people protested outside the Dáil. A further march, which will be reminiscent of the marches on water charges, has been organised by the National Housing and Homelessness Coalition for 1 December. I call on all those involved in housing and homelessness, particularly those affected by the issues and those on the front line, to attend the march and send a very strong message to the Government and Fianna Fáil that this emergency must be tackled head on. An emergency must be declared. The Bill should be allowed to progress. I appeal again, at the 11th hour, to the Government and Fianna Fáil to allow it to go to Committee Stage where it can be considered and amended. I urge them to allow it to progress to address the disastrous situation in housing and homelessness.

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