Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for the opportunity to speak on this issue. I fully agree with the sentiment of the Private Member's Bill on co-living and acknowledge that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has also publicly expressed his aversion to this type of accommodation.

Throughout the programme for Government negotiations my colleagues and I called for the abolition of co-living. This was unfortunately not included in the programme for Government. While a market does exist for models of co-living, including student and corporate units, there is a real fear that current policy will create glorified youth hostels as a means to end the housing crisis. I also repeated my conviction during the negotiations that build-to-rent strategic housing developments, SHDs, inflate rental costs. It is not a sustainable model for renters and does not benefit communities.

In some cases along the Dublin commuter belt, housing does not meet the core strategies of current national, regional and local development plans. This State should not be complicit in these housing models. However, I understand that clarity is being sought on how An Bord Pleanála is using the SHD guidelines in order that planning permissions meet current core development plan strategies. The current system only serves to create transient workforces and non-sustainable communities and lacks fair and transparent public participation. The State should only provide homes that are sustainable, equitable for society and built with future generations in mind.

The cost-rental model is a practice used internationally where the State provides public housing on public land and in doing so deflates rental costs. The Vienna model exemplifies this. I welcome the budget which has mandated approved housing bodies, AHBs, to provide such units next year, albeit a modest 400 units. This model is a generational investment to create a housing market that is equitable and sustainable.

Since becoming Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien has requested a report on the current co-living guidelines which he received recently. The Government is effectively in the process of evaluating the current co-living guidelines with respect to their viability.

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