Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to share time with my colleagues, Deputies James Browne, Niall Collins and Éamon Ó Cuív.

I thank the Minister for his update. I welcome the move with regard to commercial rates. It is crucial, and while we may have to do more in that regard, it gives a degree of certainty. They are not insignificant sums.

On mortgages, the Minister mentioned what the Department has done with regard to the Rebuilding Ireland home loan. It is right and welcome that we are not charging interest for the mortgage holiday period of three months, although it is likely we may have to extend that to six months. I say to the Minister and his Cabinet colleagues, particularly the Minister for Finance, that there remain a few large issues with our own banks and the mortgage holiday or mortgage break that already exists. One issue is the charging of interest, which is quite substantial for that period, while the non-bank lenders have not been dealt with as they should. Pepper and others will only give notification of acceptance of a mortgage break over the phone; nothing is given in writing. Some of the lenders, therefore, are not playing ball.

I agree with the Minister in respect of one issue relating to homelessness, that is, some of the interagency work that has been done between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the HSE, as well as section 39 organisations and people who have been reassigned from drugs task forces and other task forces across the country. I know that in Fingal incredible work has been done. When the crisis started, the homeless community was one of the groups of people most at risk from the potential spread of Covid-19. The response has been a success because of the unbelievable work done at some of the cocooning facilities that are now in place. I refer to the work done by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, Dublin City Council and other local authorities.

We should never return to dormitory-style emergency accommodation. The issue was debated in the general election, which was a long time ago now, but the wraparound services that our homeless community is receiving now because the HSE, section 39 organisations and the Department are working together means that the type of recovery, particularly for people with chaotic lifestyles and addiction, has been incredible, despite the country being in one of the worst crises we have ever witnessed. There have, ironically, been some health benefits for many such people because of the way in which they are being looked after, and we need to take that from this crisis. Is there any further planning to bed in these types of arrangements into the future? Obviously, what we want is the 9,700-odd people who are homeless to secure permanent accommodation but in the short term, at least they have emergency accommodation.

The Minister mentioned that 2,700 homes have been secured through HAP. Were many homes purchased for homeless families by local authorities in that period? That is another discussion which we will get to.

On own-room accommodation for the homeless, what additional funding has been given since the start of the crisis towards homelessness services?

On the recovery that will come down the track, the Minister mentioned that 5,000 homes were completed in the first quarter. According to some of the projections I have seen, and as I have heard from talking to stakeholders, we could be looking at as few as 18,000 homes having been built by the end of this year, depending on how the pandemic develops. We will still, therefore, have a major supply issue for both public and private housing. Has there been any contact at EU level to revise and change fiscal rules to ensure that each state will have the capacity to invest directly in housing as part of a stimulus package?

The EU needs to look at this because the State's recovery, particularly in housing, where this sector was already under pressure, is being exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis. How we respond to-----

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