Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy of raising the issue of housing which is the key social issue of our time and of our generation.

First, there is nothing wrong with the direct-build model. I want to see more direct build and I am supporting more direct build. We are saying Government wants to develop that.

The housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme, the Deputy referred to, has been in place since 2014. I do not think the Deputy is suggesting that we switch off that scheme right now because that would mean thousands of people who are dependent, who do not have the incomes to buy or to secure houses, would be deprived of accommodation. That is not a practical suggestion that we immediately wean people off that. There has to be a phased rebalancing of focus in terms of direct building, increasing the housing stock of local authorities and of approved social housing bodies so that one reduces the dependancy on HAP and leasing initiatives over time.

Long-term leasing is bad value. Any public private partnerships, PPPs, or partnerships should involve the stock coming back to the State after such a timeframe. That is my view and I continue to make that clear. However, let us be honest also that the bulk of the focus over the next number of years will be on build in the social housing context but, more than that, in terms of the allocations and the provisions. For example, €690 million is going for affordability measures. That will be the cost rental scheme, the shared equity scheme, the help to buy and Rebuilding Ireland. That is to enable people to afford to buy houses in the private sector but it is very important that people are given opportunities and supports by Government to be able to buy housing at affordable levels. The expansion of Part V of the planning Act to designate a range of homes for first-time buyers, and also for social, within any scheme is an important aspect of that. The 400 units in the cost rental 25% below market values is a good initiative.

We have brought 2,500 social homes back into use since we came into office. These are local authority houses that were lying idle. We gave specific funding to get them back into use. This year, funding is being provided to local authorities to remediate approximately 3,000 units. There is real urgency being applied to this issue. I do not want to see vacant local authority houses out there. That is, in my view, something that we can do quickly and in a focused way.

The Land Development Agency Bill will provide social and affordable housing on their lands. We need that legislation through to enable the agency to get going. Also, there has been progress made in relation to family homelessness. Overall, we want to directly build 50,000 new homes over the next five years.

The real capacity issue for us as a country is delivery. We are simply not building enough housing units, year by year, right now. Covid-19 hit us last year. It has hit us this year in terms of outputs but we simply have to get supply up. Everybody, at every level, local authority level and national level, needs to put the focus on delivery and getting projects finished.

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