Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Next year, we will invest €2.63 billion in housing. This represents an increase of approximately €250 million from this year's figure. We will build more new social homes with this money than have been built in any of the past 20 years and more than during the so-called boom years, when house building generally was at much higher levels. Next year, we will build more than 7,500 new social homes. In addition, between acquiring and long-term leasing, we will increase the social housing stock by more than 11,000 new homes. We are now surpassing calls for more than 10,000 new social homes a year, which will be achieved this year, with the vast majority being newly built. This is a record number.

As we deliver all of these new homes, we will continue to support people in the private rental market using the housing assistance payment, HAP. Almost 16,000 households will be supported in this way next year. There has been criticism on the use of HAP but nobody has come up with an alternative. Where would these 16,000 households go while we build more homes?

Supports for those in housing insecurity and to tackle homelessness are increasing as we continue to see families and individuals in need of these supports. Despite progress for some people, too many others still find themselves in crisis and extra supports are needed. Funding of €166 million will help us to help approximately 5,500 people out of homelessness next year, to increase the number of family hubs, to continue to roll out the Housing First plan, to increase our outreach support and to continue our inter-agency work including €30 million in support of the new Dublin Simon detoxification centre at Usher's Island.

More social homes will mean more supports and more security. Our focus is on those who are most vulnerable. Next year will be another year where approximately one in four of every new-built home will be for social housing. We should not look at any one housing measure in isolation. Any new home - be it a family home, a home for an individual, in an apartment block or a once-off house, to rent or to buy, public or private - takes pressures off other parts of the system. All new supply is helping and this is why we will do what we can to continue to drive supply upwards.

Affordable home ownership remains a key challenge. The increase of supply in recent years has moderated house prices and prices are even falling in some areas but home ownership remains out of reach for many. It is true that home ownership has been in decline in Ireland since 1991. This decline is not attributable to any one Government or any one factor. Some 79.3% of households owned their own home in 1991. This fell to 74.4% in 2002, to 67.8% in 2006, and to 69.7% in 2011.

The most recent data from the 2016 census show a rate of 67.6%. Much has changed about how we live our lives in the past 30 years, for example, the age until which we stay in education, the age at which we settle down and the number of jobs we have in our working lives. Still, most people aspire to own their own home. The Government must recognise that the traditional way of thinking - building more homes will sort out our price problems - is no longer fit for purpose. The Government has to step in to bridge the affordability gap, and we are doing so. The help-to-buy scheme is being extended, which is welcome. Over the next two years, it will help thousands of young people to buy their first homes and get people out of the rental trap more quickly. Our main initiative to build and sell homes at more affordable prices, the serviced sites fund, is being increased to meet the 3,200 homes approved under the scheme, with funding in place for 3,000 more.

Despite funding being made available and plans being put in place, some taking two years to develop, elected members are delaying and blocking new homes, for example, in places such as O'Devaney Gardens. Councillors and parties that once were not only in favour of the plans but also helped to design them are now going against them because they have been told to do so from on high. These same parties will criticise us in the Chamber for our housing plans, but we are building houses while they are blocking them. We have plans, but they only have tweets. It is time that people recognised the hypocrisy of some in the House when speaking on housing.

The Land Development Agency, LDA, is receiving additional money so that it can progress its first four sites - two in Dublin, one in Cork and another in Kildare. Between these sites, at least 1,200 new homes will be provided, including 800 social and affordable homes, which is well in excess of the 40% minimum required of the agency. Other initiatives, such as the Rebuilding Ireland home loan, have helped or have the capacity to help thousands with more affordable mortgages.

Those renting are paying too much in rent. A suite of new reforms was introduced earlier this year. It is important to note that not everything happens during budget week. In fact, most of what the Government does is not done in budget week. The reforms will strengthen rental protections and controls. We have independent evidence, which has been published, showing that rent controls are working. However, they can work better. The budget provides additional money and resources to enforce the new laws. The Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, will hire new staff, move to the annual registration of tenancies and conduct inspections under the new laws. Additional funding will also go to local authorities to support inspections of private rental properties and enforce short-term letting laws.

The first cost-rental project is on-site and will deliver two-bedroom apartments at €1,200. Cost rental will expand next year as more sites get under way and the working groups develop a national model in tandem with our partners in the European Investment Bank, EIB.

Changes in stamp duty are being made to help drive the supply of properties for rent. Changes that have been made to apartment guidelines on height are starting to show improvements. There was a 42% increase in the number of apartments built in the first half of 2019 and an almost 90% increase in planning permissions. This is happening because we made the necessary changes. We have given certainty to builders as to what they can and cannot do with sites, particularly in cities and other areas where we want to increase density. We must continue to drive the construction of more rental properties. We also need to see more rental properties becoming available. We have done so, with some 3,000 new tenancies in the first half of the year.

The help-to-buy scheme and the Rebuilding Ireland home loan help people to move out of the rental trap more quickly as more homes are built privately and under our various schemes. Every new home delivered, be it out of vacancy, an unfinished housing estate or a new build, helps to take pressure off other parts of the housing sector and helps people who are in housing insecurity.

Housing adaptation is an important part of our plans in the budget. There is significant funding for the retrofitting of homes and a new scheme derived from the carbon tax will help houses in the midlands to protect themselves and allow for deep retrofits to take place. The new nearly zero energy building, NZEB, guidelines will take effect at the end of the month. The housing adaptation grant will support 12,000 houses for the elderly and those with disabilities. The mortgage-to-rent scheme will support a further 400 people to stay in their own homes.

While there are other measures in the budget for my Department, I will conclude by saying that we are facing a housing challenge and that, while we must play catch-up for the many lost years, we are catching up. What would be happening if Rebuilding Ireland did not exist? No other party has proposed a comprehensive housing plan, and despite having a majority and being able to change our plans, the Opposition parties have not done so. It is time that people recognised the progress that Rebuilding Ireland is making. To the end of June, more than 58,000 new homes had been delivered. Now, more than 2,000 homes are starting construction on site every month and tens of thousands more have planning permission. We will deliver at least 27,000 new homes next year and even more the year after that. Only through driving this supply can we help the people who are suffering from the crisis.

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