Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This Bill is welcome for a number of reasons. I commend Labour on introducing it. The need for a more equitable and rounded view of land, the purchase of land and policy relating to land has been urgent for decades. I noticed it in particular last night when canvassing on behalf of Senator Lynn Boylan around the Irishtown and Ringsend area, where, time after time, it came up on the doorsteps that people cannot afford the €500,000 needed to purchase houses for themselves or their families to keep them close to their loved ones in the area. There is no social or affordable housing being built in the area to any significant extent. It is not only in Irishtown and Ringsend, it is the whole country. In Tralee, after the economic crash and particularly under the Government that came to power in 2011, the waiting time relating to the town council's housing list increased from approximately seven years initially to 14 years in 2020. That was as a direct result of Government policy which led to the building affordable and social housing being halted. The list expanded unbelievably. There were plenty of schemes, such as the housing assistance payment, HAP, leasing, the rental accommodation scheme, RAS, etc. The abolition of the town council in Tralee by the Labour-Fine Gael Government also made things more difficult. Community cohesion was affected because houses that had been constructed during the boom became investment properties and were rented out. The good council policy of integrating estates was thrown to one side when investors threw Tom, Dick and Harry into the houses without any vetting, something that led to disputes and difficulties with unsuitable tenants.

We are continue to suffer the consequences of housing policy over decades but, particularly, that adopted over the past ten years. Housing policy has resulted in rising house prices, no social and affordable housing and vulture funds running amok.

Another reason Sinn Féin supports the Bill is that it is a response to ever-increasing constitutional rigidity within Government policy. Previous speakers referred to matters being unconstitutional. Now, the Government has given the excuse that we must wait for the Law Reform Commission's reports. That is ridiculous. The constitutional provisions relating to property are also causing problems. This rigidity is, of course, performative and insincere in many instances, but is particularly marked by Fine Gael Ministers professing all too often that their hands are tied legally. The courts understand that the Legislature has the right to legislate for the benefit of the common good. Housing is one of the most important services we, as a society, provide. The response "We would need a referendum for that" is not good enough. Of course, that prompts the question of how the Government's case and record would stand up in the face of such a referendum.

Another reason the Bill is welcome is the failure of successive Governments' policies on housing, particularly as the fundamentals of land and land pricing have never been addressed. The serviced sites fund is one example in this regard. That fund is supposed to support local authorities in the provision of key enabling infrastructure on their land and to prepare sites for the delivery of affordable housing. In the estates of Cahermoneen, Westcourt, Ard na Lí - all good estates close to the centre of my town - local people were allowed to buy sites that were serviced. This kept the community together and, importantly, provided assistance to small and medium builders and tradespeople to stay working and boosted the local economy. Despite being open for four years, the serviced sites fund has delivered zero homes in Kerry and has not delivered homes that are affordable in other parts of the State either. Serviced sites works so well but the fund is practically dormant. It could be used unlock solutions and possibilities in towns and villages throughout the county.

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