Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

This has been a very useful debate. I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward the Bill.

I will begin by responding on some of the issues raised by Deputy Cian O'Callaghan. The local connection rule has been comprehensively dealt with. I was present when Deputy Joan Collins raised it last week during the Topical Issue debate. She played an audio clip of services trying to access beds for the night for a number of rough sleepers. It was very distressing and must be very distressing. I welcome the swift action taken by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in addressing this. We will respond in due course to the Deputy's questions on the youth homelessness strategy, the end of the use of one-night-only homeless beds, and reports of inspections on accommodation.

As the Minister, outlined, the Government's commitment to preventing homelessness is, and will continue to be, strong. Preventing homelessness remains an unwavering task of the Government. Policies and funding are in place to help individuals remain in their homes. We are preventing, and will continue to prevent, homelessness from happening in the first instance. That is our priority. In the coming year, we expect to target a figure of 3,000 people being prevented from becoming homeless and 3,000 exits from homelessness. Preventing homelessness should be a priority and is something on which we all can agree. Therefore, the Government will not oppose this Bill.

No party or Deputy has a monopoly on wisdom when it comes to addressing our toughest of challenges. We welcome all proposals as to how we can improve our response in dealing with the particular needs of those facing homelessness. That is why we welcome this debate. However, in enacting legislation, we must make sure it is fit for purpose and will be effective. The stated purpose of the Homeless Prevention Bill 2020 is to provide a legal definition of persons at risk of homelessness and to give my Department and local authorities the power to provide such persons with supports and prevent them from becoming homeless. As has been noted, this Bill and many of the provisions in it are inspired by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, which came into force in England in 2018, and the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, on which the English legislation is based. Those Acts placed duties on housing associations and social services to co-operate with local authority housing services in carrying out their homelessness duties. The legislation created more flexibility in a range of local authority interventions and expanded the definition of "threatened with homelessness" in order that people would be assisted when they are within 56 days of losing their homes.

In considering the Bill before the House, it is important to consider whether the provisions set out in the legislation to which I refer has been effective in the jurisdictions in which they apply. The indications in this regard appear to be mixed. Work on examining the legislation's effectiveness indicates that improvements have occurred in some areas but not in others. One concern has been apparent in the increased use of temporary accommodation since the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. There seem to be more households living in temporary accommodation for longer periods at increasing cost to local authorities. While it is clear that the Act in question has helped some individuals at risk of homelessness, it is not the silver bullet that was hoped for. Homelessness continues to be a pressing issue in the UK. I hope the pre-legislative scrutiny process for the Bill we are discussing this evening can be used to further explore the experience in England and Wales.

I will now outline the actions we are undertaking to address homelessness. To continue the significant reductions in homelessness we have seen in the past 12 months and finally resolve the issue of homelessness in Ireland will require, above all else, a significant increase in output in the housing construction sector. This is one of the key commitments in the programme for Government, which will see an increase in the social housing stock by more than 50,000 units, with an emphasis on new builds. Next year's housing budget of €3.3 billion will see the largest amount spent on housing in the history of the State. It is right and proper that we do so. The available funding will deliver 12,750 homes through build, acquisition and leasing. A major focus of this investment is to deliver new builds, with an overall target of 9,500 new homes. The build target includes the delivery of 5,250 new homes by local authorities, 2,950 by approved housing bodies and 1,300 through Part V provisions.

These are ambitious targets and they are testament to the work ongoing in the Department, local authorities and approved housing bodies. Work is also under way with the housing delivery co-ordination office and the local authorities on the implementation of measures to deliver housing solutions for households on the social housing waiting list. A high-level housing delivery group has been established which includes representatives from the City and County Management Association, the housing delivery co-ordination office, approved housing bodies and the Irish Council for Social Housing. The delivery group provides a forum for engagement with key housing delivery partners to support the implementation of the commitments on housing delivery in the programme for Government.

As part of the July stimulus programme, more than €40 million was set aside for the refurbishment of voids, the largest single amount announced under the programme. This funding will support the return of 2,500 units to use and the Department is liaising with local authorities to reach this overall target. By the end of quarter 3 of this year, more than 8,500 social housing homes were under construction or on site, with 9,084 at various stages of the approval process. Furthermore, 9,665 social housing supports were delivered, which is notable given the seven-week cessation of construction activity due to the Covid-19 restrictions earlier this year.

While it is undoubtedly the most crucial part of the jigsaw, the provision of housing on its own will not be sufficient to help all individuals exit homelessness or be prevented from entering it in the first place. For this reason, other programmes to address homelessness are predicated on the understanding that many households experiencing homelessness have additional support needs. Specific measures are required to address those needs. They include measures to help rough sleepers into sustainable accommodation, the continued expansion of Housing First, with a focus on the construction and acquisition of one-bedroom homes and, in another important consideration, ensuring there are dedicated funding and resources to deliver the health, mental health and community-based supports required to assist homeless people with complex needs. Housing First currently supports more than 450 former rough sleepers and long-term users of emergency accommodation with significant health, mental health and addiction issues to remain in their own homes.

In line with the commitment in the programme for Government, we are planning to expand the targets set out under the national implementation plan 2018-2021 in the early part of 2021. The programme for Government makes clear that reducing and preventing homelessness is a major priority for Government. It sets out a number of commitments that will build upon the comprehensive prevention mechanisms that are already in place and delivering results. If those prevention mechanisms need to be improved, we are open to considering new ideas. That is why we want to see this legislation being scrutinised further.

I thank the House for providing the opportunity to discuss the Bill. It has given us an opportunity to talk about preventative measures to tackle homelessness as well as the actions needed to increase housing supply, the delivery of social housing supports and initiatives to address homelessness. We can never debate these issues enough and it is really important that we are having this discussion. Measures must be put in place that have an effect in reducing the number of individuals needing access to emergency accommodation. In spite of our efforts in this regard, the number of individuals experiencing homelessness remains far too high. The commitments outlined in the programme for Government and the continued interagency co-operation between different Departments, local authorities and partners in the voluntary and NGO sectors will be of vital importance as we continue to try to address this issue.

The Bill should go forward to pre-legislative scrutiny, where its deficiencies can be addressed and its potential for effectiveness be assessed. I hope the proposers of the Bill will consider the costs arising out of its provisions. The Government of which I am a member has not been shy about committing money to address homelessness, but we need to make sure that proposed policy which requires the allocation of more resources will be effective. In the meantime, progress has been made, and will continue to be made, in this crucial area. We have an ambitious programme of work that will be intensified and accelerated over the coming months and years. We look forward to working with Members on all sides of the House to achieve those targets.

See this speech in context