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

It is important that the proper balance and perspective is considered in this debate. The Government took measures to rein in vulture funds, or cuckoo funds as the Deputy calls them, and funds in general, in terms of competing with first-time buyers and to stop the type of activity we saw in Maynooth, which was the bulk purchases of housing estates in competition with first-time buyers. Measures were taken on the planning side, and with the imposition of 10% stamp duty, to prevent that competition with first-time buyers so that they would have the opportunity to buy houses on estates such as these. When that announcement was made by the Ministers for Finance and Housing, Local Government and Heritage, they indicated in the Dáil debate at the time that the exemption would continue for leasing in respect of social housing. The reason for that is leasing has been a feature of social housing for quite some time now. I have a view on that and we will change it.

We are in a transition phase but the issue the Deputy must address, and she is nodding her head, is that 2,400 social housing units can be provided to families through this leasing right now. The tap cannot just be turned off immediately. We can move and transition to different models, which is what I want and which will be reflected in the housing for all strategy, but is the Deputy saying that the 2,400 families who will avail of the social housing we will provide through this model this year should be left on the street or in unacceptable conditions? This mechanism is for families who are on housing lists. We are not talking about first-time buyers, but families who are on housing lists and urgently need accommodation. We all know how long the social housing lists are. We could turn off the tap immediately but, if we do so, 2,400 families will lose out. These are families who are on social housing lists so the Deputy needs to answer the question about what we do in the next number of months.

I am very clear that the focus of Government, without question, is on direct build to own, for social housing in particular. On affordable homes, the State is becoming involved to a significant degree in helping families, or people in general, to buy houses they can afford. Likewise, the cost-rental scheme, which is one of the first of its kind, will enable people to rent at significantly below market value. Only this week, the Government approved the Shanganagh housing project, for example, which is being developed by the Land Development Agency and is before Government at the moment. That project is for approximately 597 houses and includes direct-build social housing, affordable and cost rental. That is the type of action we want.

We need more houses. At the moment, we do not have enough supply. Covid hit us hard last year. In 2020, approximately 1,400 houses were provided through leasing, out of a total of 8,000 or 9,000 social houses built. Over the past number of years, there has been a move in this direction by local authorities. The housing for all strategy will rebalance that significantly in line with our policy of predominantly directly building housing.

Family homelessness, for example, has come down 48%, which is quite significant. Some of the approaches to homelessness by some local authorities have been assisted by leasing. My view is that any model of leasing should be one where the State ends up owning the homes. There will be a move in that direction, but it is important when transitioning to new models that we do not let families who would benefit from social housing in the next number of months lose out. That seems to be what the Deputy is proposing.

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