Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister on his work on this plan, which, in a time of crisis, provides a comprehensive strategy to mitigate our housing crisis. The Government has provided the funding and legislation. The challenge will be the implementation and delivery of the plan within the given timeframe. I am particularly glad to see Green Party housing policies at the heart of the plan, including cost rental, which is a model for which I have advocated since being elected. In just over a year, we have moved from the provision of 50 units in total to 2,000 units a year. We would like to see this number further increased, going forward. A key Green Party policy is 100% public housing on public land and that was secured. That policy is crucial to increasing the provision of social and affordable housing in areas such as Dublin and Cork where there are chronic affordability crises.

Furthermore, we need legislation to level the playing pitch for first-time buyers to ensure they are not outbid by pension funds by reserving 30% of units in all developments for first-time buyers. The commitment to increase Housing First tenancies to 1,200 units, as well as providing 90,000 social homes through the LDA and AHBs will assist in eliminating homelessness. Organisations such as the Peter McVerry Trust, with whom I recently met, play a vital role in leading on Housing First and bringing vacant units and derelict properties back into residential use for our most vulnerable.

We need to ensure that budget 2022 provides enough financial support through the Housing Agency for our housing organisations and charities such as the Peter McVerry Trust to continue their important work. Crucially, we also need to look towards identifying and mapping our vacant units, led by our local authorities' vacant homes officers. This would assist our efforts to utilise and bring back into use vacant properties in our towns, villages and cities. The Centre for Irish Towns research hub in UCD is perfectly placed to assist and deliver the identification of our vacant units across the country. However, it requires a funding mechanism to allow it to process the work required. I hope this can be found to assist with the town centres first initiative.

We must not overlook the chronic lack of investment in our wastewater treatment infrastructure. Housing developments are being stalled and new estates are suffering from abhorrently poor water infrastructure, which is alarming and needs urgently to be improved. We need a national audit of our wastewater plants to identify areas where there is capacity and areas where we need to improve infrastructure to allow this plan to move forward progressively. We also need to begin a programme of attracting people to build our homes and I am sure this process has begun in earnest within the Government and appropriate Departments.

I look forward to introducing my Bill on defective dwellings tomorrow. It aims to legislate for a process to deal with defective properties and the provision of redress for impacted homeowners.

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