Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As we finally and thankfully come out the other side of Covid-19, the Government has stated loudly and clearly that the housing crisis will be given the same attention as the pandemic. Less than six weeks ago, the Government launched its new housing strategy, Housing for All. It sets us on a pathway to deliver 300,000 homes by the end of 2030, 90,000 of these social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase and, for the first time, 18,000 cost rental homes. It is the most ambitious housing plan we have ever set forward as a country, with multi-annual funding agreed for a whole-of-government approach to bring home ownership back for a whole generation.

Budget 2022 is a leap forward in home building to realise the massive ambition of that plan. Next year, we will see record funding of €5.5 billion in current and capital being made available for housing. That comprises €4 billion in capital, broken down as €2.6 billion in Exchequer and €1.5 billion between the Land Development Authority, LDA, and the Housing Finance Agency, HFA, as well as €1.4 billion in current funding. This is the biggest allocation for housing investment by any Government in any given year.

Let us compare that to the proposals of our colleagues opposite. On page 3 of Deputy Ó Broin's 12-page document on Housing for All, he proposes increasing capital to €2.8 billion. We are doing €1.2 billion more than that as a Government. In the past 24 hours, the usual criticisms of the budget have been taken off the shelf and dusted down in Sinn Féin headquarters for their annual run-out. The scripts were already written; the only thing that changed was the date. It is the usual mixture of criticise, oppose and mislead. However, their claims do not stand up to scrutiny. For example, Deputy Ó Broin stated yesterday with a straight face that this was the worst budget since 2016. Budget 2022 represents a sixfold increase in housing capital investment compared with budget 2016. Deputy Ó Broin may be happy to mislead but the numbers do not lie.

Opponents such as Deputy Ó Broin have called the new zoned land tax, which is a new and radical departure on how we tackle land hoarding, a lame duck. The Opposition is ignoring the fact that the vacant site levy is not working. The zoned land tax will impact approximately 8,000 ha of land, enough for more than 250,000 new homes, and will be collected by Revenue, not by local authorities. It is a land activation measure. What activation measures has Sinn Féin proposed in its alternative budget? None. The Government is sending a strong signal today to build up or pay up. If you want to build, the Government will support you. If you want to hoard land, the Government will tax you.

For renters, we are tackling high rents and giving them a real chance to buy their own place. This Government enacted five separate pieces of rental protection legislation in the past year, aimed at protecting struggling renters. We linked rent increases to general inflation and now rents in rent pressure zones, RPZs, can only go up if necessary in line with general inflation. As the Deputy opposite will know, when bringing forward that legislation I acknowledged rising inflation at the time and said I would keep the need for an overall cap under review. Legislation is being drafted right now in conjunction with the Attorney General to do just that and I expect Members opposite will support it. We have restricted the amount of upfront cost that can be sought from the commencement of a tenancy and, as committed to in Housing for All, legislation will be brought forward and enacted shortly for indefinite tenures.

Perhaps most important, and something the main Opposition party wilfully ignores, is the fact that, for the first time ever, we, as a Government, have introduced a new form of tenure. Cost rental is exciting. It will see tenants paying at least 25% less than the open market price in long-term and secure homes. The first such tenants are in place, paying 50% below the market price. Sinn Féin, in its predictable criticisms, has stated that this Government does nothing for renters. The Government is currently supporting 100,000 renters through direct funding of €1 billion. What supports does the Opposition put forward to help these renters in their homes today? Absolutely nothing.

As regards home ownership, critically, as we know, the vast majority of renters want to own their own home. I believe that a person earning a decent wage should be able to buy his or her own home and the State should play a central role in that. Housing for All and this budget support that. In contrast, Sinn Féin has opposed the help-to-buy scheme - it wants to scrap it - as well as opposing the first homes scheme and the Land Development Agency which will build on State-owned land. It does not even want us to plan to build homes. Simply put, it does not support home ownership and it does not support renters.

Ultimately, the Opposition wants the Government to fight the housing crisis with one hand tied behind its back because it does not suit the Opposition for progress to be made by this Government. We intend for real progress to be made, kickstarted by budget 2022. We will see new affordable cost rental and more social homes than ever before. That is our challenge and it is a challenge that we are up to.

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