Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I thank Sinn Féin and Deputy Ó Broin for using their Private Members' time to put this issue on the agenda of the Dáil. As with previous housing motions, it is really important. I have two questions for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the dominant parties in successive governments, and for the Labour Party and the Greens. I found it incredible to listen to the Labour Party representative tonight. The last time the Labour Party was in government, it was too busy trying to force domestic water charges down the throats of working-class people to notice the developing housing crisis. What it gave us was the initiation of HAP, which is causing huge problems. My first question is this: how did the governments of these parties, successive establishment governments, get into this mess?

This crisis is the result of policy decisions made by the successive governments led by the establishment parties and their decision to end direct local authority house building and transfer responsibility to the private sector. Local authority housing stock now is only one third of what it was in the 1960s. Before the crash, pursuant to this policy, the Government attempted to create a new class of small part-time landlords, encouraging so-called buy-to-lets. After the crash, many of these buy-to-lets ended up being repossessed. A new strategy then emerged of encouraging REITs, so-called vulture and cuckoo funds. They are exempt from corporation tax, stamp duty and capital gains tax. In addition, as revealed in the Business Post, State funds were invested in these companies.

What can the Government now do to resolve this mess? It seems that the Attorney General has given his blessing to proposals under consideration by the Cabinet. That does not mean that any proposal will not be subject to legal challenges. If the stamp duty is increased, the extra cost will simply be included in increased prices and higher rents. Changes to planning could take three to four years to be passed and implemented. Between 70,000 and 80,000 planning applications are currently in process and they will not be affected by any new laws.

This crisis will not blow over. It will not be resolved by mere tinkering with the system. If it were not for the pandemic, there would already be enormous protests on the streets on this issue. Based on the number of emails and social media comments I am getting, I believe there is a strong mood to be on the streets, demanding change.

Fianna Fáil is now trying to protect itself as a party of first-time buyers. We should be clear who these first-time buyers are. They are young working-class couples. They are not looking to put their foot on the so-called property ladder. These are couples seeking to put a roof over their head and hopefully raise a family. They cannot afford to be at the mercy of some greedy landlord, jacking up the rent or evicting them because they can get more out of someone else.

The proposal to build 6,000 so-called affordable homes over the next four years will not con anybody; it is actually pathetic. Sufficient zoned land is available through local authorities and NAMA to make a significant dent in this crisis. It means, in the main, building public houses, the majority with affordable rent and security of tenure with some of the land set aside to build housing with a leasehold arrangement, as State-subsidised mortgages. It will create the conditions to eliminate local authority housing waiting lists. We should also be introducing cost-rental housing for those who do not qualify for local authority housing.

Fifty years after it was first recommended, the State should introduce a key recommendation of the Kenny report for land rezoned to residential use to be capped at 25% of its agricultural value. The Government could introduce a separate 20% "use it or lose it" tax on derelict sites, land hoarding and vacant properties. These are the measures that could make a difference. Increasing supply would help to reduce house prices and rents in the private sector. All that is needed is the radical will to do so.

We are seeing a crisis develop regarding housing assistance payments, HAP. I have been contacted by several people who have reached the cap on the homeless HAP and they are required to top up more and more. These people came from homelessness and will end up in homelessness if the Government does not review this very quickly and protect these renters.

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