Dáil debates

Tuesday, 28 July 2020

Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Second Stage

 

12:05 pm

Photo of Niamh SmythNiamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will leave time at the end for the Minister to respond to my comments. I congratulate him on his appointment as Minister with responsibility for housing. It is a big portfolio but I know he brought great energy and enthusiasm to the role of Opposition spokesperson. I agree with my colleague that he has hit the ground running. I have no doubt that he has taken the bull by the horns in the Department to ensure delivery. I also congratulate the Minster of State, Deputy Noonan, on his appointment to the Department. His name is held in very high regard in Kilkenny County Council.

We are discussing one of the most basic human rights, the right to have a roof over one's head and a house to call home. This was one of the biggest issues, if not the biggest issue, of the last Dáil. I have no doubt the Minister will bring a new vision, energy and enthusiasm to housing but it is a massive ship to turn around. Regardless of constituency, whether it is in an urban area such as in Dublin city and county or a rural area such as counties Cavan and Monaghan and north County Meath, the issue is the same. People have been waiting years on housing lists for the all-important roof over their head and place to call home.

It is unacceptable in this day and age that people have to wait years for a home. As my colleague, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, observed, sometimes a family's income is only €20 over the threshold. The threshold can put genuine cases out of kilter in terms of their entitlement to a council house or their ability to apply for one. This issue will have to be addressed by the Minister in his time in the Department.

The plan is very welcome and it is ambitious in its aim to deliver 50,000 social houses or homes over the lifetime of the Government.

I have been a public representative for ten years. Before my time as a public representative, I always looked around the county and could see where schemes were constantly popping up all over the place. I would have said it was one of the most active parts of our local authority of Cavan County Council. Over the period of ten years that I have been a public representative, however, those schemes seem to have slowed down somewhat. There was perhaps a reluctance on the part of the local authority to be the driving force in house-building schemes. Many housing authorities came on board to take up that mantle but, ultimately, that is the responsibility of our local authorities.

I would love to see the housing sections within our local authorities going back to that all-important job of the delivery of homes. I know they are making every effort with the resources available to them to find empty homes and to provide renting schemes such as the housing assistance payment, HAP, to get people out of their homeless or almost-homeless circumstances as a short-term measure. Nevertheless, we really need to show vision, and we have always said the Government will be judged on its delivery. I certainly hope we will not be found wanting when it comes to the delivery of the 50,000 social homes.

The July stimulus package took account of that as part of its town and village renewal scheme. I very much welcome that, particularly as someone who represents a rural constituency such as Cavan-Monaghan. Many rural towns and villages throughout the constituency are dying on their feet. One of greatest problems that businesses point to is the fact that no one lives in such towns and villages any more. There was an effort from the previous Government to address this issue, but it is something that, as part of the town and village renewal scheme, we really need to reconsider. There are many homes above empty shop units, of which there are also a great number. What can we do to incentivise people to bring back footfall and capacity to our main streets? It would have a knock-on effect on revitalising our towns and villages.

The Minister might respond in the time remaining.

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