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

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following:

“notes that: — the Government is fully committed to tackling high rents and ensuring an increase in the supply of affordable high quality rental accommodation through continued

significant capital investment, including Cost Rental and other means and in a manner that respects the security of tenure for renters by ensuring equity and fairness for landlords and tenants;

— the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2021 relating to Rent Pressure Zones are due to expire at the end of December, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage will bring forward comprehensive new protections for tenants, balanced with constitutional property rights in the coming months;

— the Government is committed to improving the security of tenure for tenants through legislating for tenancies of indefinite duration, subject to legal advices;

— the new Affordable Housing Bill 2020 sets out the legislative basis for Cost Rental for the first time in the history of the State;

— the first Cost Rental units will be delivered this year and significantly expanded by the Government over the coming years;

— the Government has increased funding and capacity for the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) to help further protect tenants, and the significant ongoing sustained funding provided to local authorities to inspect rental properties and the strong legislative framework under which they currently operate has made a positive contribution to supporting the ongoing improvement of standards and to ensuring the availability of an increasingly high quality stock of rental accommodation in Ireland;

— as per the commitment in the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future, the new whole-of-Government plan for housing ‘housing for all’, that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage intends to publish later this year, will ensure that the provision of an adequate supply of high quality affordable rental accommodation remains a cornerstone of the Government’s policy under the plan; and

— the Government has provided, and will continue to provide, enhanced income supports and protections for tenants, particularly the most vulnerable tenants, that are necessary during this pandemic; and

— the Government keeps the operation of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2021 under constant review and will make any necessary enhancement to the legal enforceability of RTB determination orders, in consultation with the RTB.”

I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Government. At the heart of my approach to housing is a simple argument that owning a home is good for individuals, families, communities and our country. It rests on a fundamental belief that persons earning a decent wage should be able to buy their own home. What happened in Maynooth last week was unacceptable. It flies in the face of that core Government policy and belief. It offends our shared sense of fairness that if one works hard, one should have something to show for it.

Our democracy is founded on the idea that our children can do better that us, just as our parents hoped for. We need a housing system that reflects this. I assure renters, those saving now for deposits and adults living at home with their parents - whom I have spoken about on many occasions since taking over as Minister - that the Government is taking action to stop this from happening. In opposition I brought forward legislation in this regard and flagged the matter as recently as April. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, and I are reviewing options right now to make a real, positive impact in this space and together we will bring forward measures on behalf of Government to address this issue.

Over the past ten months, the Government has brought forward the largest housing budget on record and the most ambitious targets in the history of the State. These included €3.3 billion for housing alone and 9,500 new build social homes as part of a programme to build 50,000 new social homes over the term of this Government. The Government is the largest builder and player in this State in relation to the provision of homes. By the summer, we will have passed two major Bills, the affordable housing Bill and Land Development Agency Bill, both of which will put home ownership at the centre of the solution to our housing crisis. These are specific measures to help generation rent become a generation of people who can afford their own home at an affordable rate. These are real measures and policies, not empty rhetoric.

In July, the new Housing for All plan will lay out a comprehensive new vision for affordable homes as part of our overall housing strategy. We are levelling the playing field for first-time buyers to give working people a real chance to realise their dream of home ownership.

In contrast, the Sinn Féin Party, which has brought forward this motion, is pretending to be a friend of first-time buyers when everything it does points to the contrary. Its cigarette box affordable housing scheme excludes a nurse and garda on average income and comes with a major catch, which is that people do not own their homes at the end. Today Sinn Féin even attempted further delay by filibustering the affordable housing Bill at committee, which is landmark legislation that will be a leap forward in tackling the housing crisis. It is the most comprehensive legislation for affordable housing and from day one, Sinn Féin has tried to delay its progress and stop it in its tracks.

I will not abandon first-time buyers or use them as a political pawn like the Sinn Féin Party does.

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