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

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. We need to debate housing policies vigorously to ensure they are fit for purpose. There is so much at stake when we are faced with our housing crisis. It is incumbent on every party to put forward solid ideas that will deliver on the ground. Our national housing crisis demands a major response and this Government has stepped up to the mark, as pointed out by my colleague.

The largest housing budget in the history of the State and the largest targets on record is the kind of scale of action required. The affordable housing measures also mark a major leap forward. It is a combination of measures which, taken together, can have a real impact on this crisis. This is clear from the affordable housing Bill and the LDA Bill.

I am particularly excited by the development of our first-ever national cost-rental scheme. While the scheme has been discussed since 2015, this Government will deliver the first 440 units this year alone. This is the foundation of a massive expansion in conjunction with the LDA driving on large-scale developments. The proposed expansion of Part V to include affordable housing offers a further opportunity to ramp up supply of these badly needed cost-rental units. The €35 million should be expanded soon in order to build on that foundation. This is the kind of innovative new policy we need to revamp our housing system. The restart of direct affordable housing by local authorities through the serviced sites fund, SSF, is a welcome measure. I understand the Minister is to bring forward significant reforms to the SSF to help unlock further development and cut through delays and backlogs. Local authorities have a central role to play in directly building affordable homes. The equity scheme under discussion today must be discussed in that context. We must throw the kitchen sink at this crisis. We should adopt a variety of policies, as has been said, rather than a silver bullet approach.

I support the affordable housing Bill and the need to ramp up our ambition in affordable housing. This is an exciting development with the potential to transform affordable housing in this country. The legislation is an opportunity to reshape our housing system for the better. Parties have the chance to use Committee Stage to improve elements of it such as the equity scheme but it is premature to reject elements of the Bill which have not been published yet. It is not a helpful or holistic approach to our national housing crisis. We need to show real imagination and commitment to turn the tide of the crisis and I hope all parties across the House can work together to achieve that.

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