Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Large sections of people from Bandon, Clonakilty, Kilbrittain, Ballinspittle, Ballinadee, Dunmanway, Skibbereen and Goleen - the list is endless - are unable to get on the property ladder and have to resort to paying enormous rents. It has come to the point that renting can often be more expensive than a monthly mortgage repayment. Why is the Government not doing more to promote people to be able to afford their homes? The homelessness figures have reached an all-time high of more than 10,000 people. Does this Government really realise that these numbers are more than just a statistic? They are real people who deserve the fundamental human right to safety and shelter. In this very Chamber we have debated over and over ways to relieve to current housing crisis. I am baffled as to why, after all the hours of discussion and hope-filled promises, every year more and more people are becoming homeless. It is beyond time that this Government delivered on its promises and stopped its illusions that it is dealing with this crisis. Many of these people have become homeless simply because they cannot afford hiked-up rents although they would have been able to afford mortgage repayments through an affordable home scheme.

In the program for Government we were promised rural renewal, but in many of our small villages and towns we are seeing shops closing, units left idle and the local economy left decimated. There needs to be more funding available to renovate long-term unoccupied houses in our rural areas to give more options for people to rent or buy. Rural Ireland is crying out to be populated and wants to see its deteriorating villages and towns restored to their former glory. There need to be plans in place to source and build affordable housing in rural communities, enabling urban-based families to move to rural areas through a rural resettlement scheme. The benefits of country living are endless. Those who live in small rural communities tend to have a strong sense of identity and pride of place. Taking all this into account, we must also think of the public services. When housing is being built, public services cannot be forgotten. With any influx of new people to the community, upgrading the capacity of schools, doctors' clinics and public transport must be taken into account, or we will have more situations like that in Bandon where demand for school places has surpassed availability.

Another point I want to make concerns the housing on our islands. The eight picturesque islands off west Cork are very busy throughout the summer season and it is great to see, but during the off-peak season these people are forgotten about. Social housing should be made available on our islands so the community and economy can remain viable all year round. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste were very welcome visitors to Sherkin Island over the weekend to launch the island strategy. There was a very valid point made that going back not so long ago, it was in 2016, the school was closed on Sherkin Island because there were no children. Now about seven children have been born on the island. We are looking at a little bit of a turnaround there, which is very welcome. We have the same situation on Bere Island. There is a lot of life in those islands. I refer also to Whiddy Island, Long Island and Cape Clear. These islands want to have good, vibrant life on them all year round and they want people to live on them. However, people cannot afford to purchase a house and in most situations will not get planning permission to build one. They are left in a very difficult situation. There have not been any great funds available for social housing in islands for many years. There has to be more of a focus going forward for these islands if there is to be any hope. Instead of islands being forced into a situation of having to close their schools, maybe we can be looking to reopen the schools, like on Sherkin Island. That might be their focus going forward.

Each time I have constituency clinics, whether in Kinsale, Skibbereen or Bantry, I am inundated with people trying to get on the housing market. Many people are falling between every stool, unfortunately. No matter what scheme is put before them, they are always finding it very difficult. There might be a couple and both of them might be out working but they might not be on very big incomes. They are struggling severely. Most of them really do not want to have to go on the social housing list but are forced onto it. The banks will not give them a loan and they are left in a very precarious situation. They want to buy their own home and rear their family in their own locality but unfortunately they have been let down by banks. There is a very cruel misunderstanding. It is a disconnect, basically, between the people and the banks. No matter what programmes the Government puts in place, many of them have severe criteria that these people cannot meet. I urge the Minister of State and the Government to look at that.

We are looking at more than 10,000 people on the social housing list and many of them do not want to be on it. Many people have no choice and I accept that. We are working on that in our constituency. Each week when I meet people I nearly set aside one person in our office to deal with housing. It is a massive crisis that is before us every day of the week. People are extremely stressed. I have come across situations in Clonakilty where people are sleeping in vans and cars. It is happening in other parts of west Cork, too. It is of very serious concern to me as a public representative that we have failed these people and that they are in this situation. It is a terrible plight. We are going to have to look at how people can access more funds and make those funds more freely available, especially to people who are genuine applicants looking to get a mortgage and to put their feet back on the ground again in places like Dunmanway and Drimoleague, out as far as Innishannon and all the way out west to Castletownbere. These people are genuine in their attempts and they are being scuppered in every which way. I urge the Minister of State and the Government to look into this. If they did, we might see with the 10,000 people who are on the housing list that the numbers might start to dwindle. I say we should give a little to people. People out there are great and if we give a little bit of assistance they will certainly meet it with open arms and go forward to build their own home. All people want in life is to have their own home and live happily there.

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