Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on the report, Monitoring Adequate Housing in Ireland, which was released on 14 September and prepared by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC. The report focuses on six dimensions of adequate housing that were identified in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, namely, accessibility, affordability, security of tenure, cultural adequacy, quality and location. This work seeks to monitor housing in Ireland by providing a baseline measurement for a framework in respect of these six key dimensions, specifically designed for the Irish context. It raises many issues of common concern to us all in the provision of adequate housing and we can all agree with the opening line of the report, which states, "Adequate housing is essential to the quality of life of individuals and families."

A number of key findings are set out in the report. They include the fact that young respondents are less likely to own their own home, that migrants are over-represented on the housing waiting lists and in private rented accommodation and that lone parents have low rates of home ownership and over-representation on the homeless and housing waiting lists. The report finds that certain groups, including lone parents, people with a disability and migrants, consistently report a disadvantage in regard to housing outcomes. It also finds that average rents have increased substantially and that affordability is a key issue. Many of the findings in the report echo much of the Department's analysis of the housing issue. It is good to see that many of the issues raised have begun being addressed since the report was written through our new strategy, Housing for All, or through other measures such as the White Paper on ending direct provision and the new housing strategy for people with a disability, which is in development.

The Government is keenly aware of the housing challenges facing people throughout this island. The impact of the housing crisis is felt in every family in the country, from hard-pressed tenants stuck in a rent trap to those at the most vulnerable end of the crisis who will spend the night sleeping in emergency accommodation or, worse, sleeping rough in one of our city streets. It is only by taking measures in regard to all aspects of our housing system that we can begin to improve circumstances for our citizens across the board. This is particularly evident in the report when we consider the broad range of issues that have been highlighted. Housing for All sets out our plan and takes a genuine whole-of-government approach to get to grips with the crisis and improve the lives of all our people. We recognise the impact of the crisis and the scale of the challenge and are committed to resolving it.

The Government has put in place historic levels of investment to promote access to housing, with in excess of €20 billion through the Exchequer, the Land Development Agency, LDA, and the Housing Finance Agency over the next five years. More than 300,000 new homes will be built by the end of 2030, including a projected 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost-rental homes. It is the largest State-led building programme in our history and this massive increase in output will provide essential access to housing in all tenures. Access to housing will be supported also by a range of measures to tackle homelessness to deliver on our commitment to ending homelessness by 2030 under the Lisbon declaration.

Housing affordability has been put at the heart of the housing system. The Government has delivered the State's first Affordable Housing Act and the Land Development Agency Act, which provide for new schemes for the delivery of affordable homes by local authorities and the LDA, as well as in private developments under the first home scheme. We have legislated also for an increase in the Part V requirements to deliver social and affordable homes. We aim to deliver 36,000 affordable homes, averaging at 4,000 per annum. We are providing a new affordable housing fund to better support local authorities and increasing the supply of newly constructed affordable homes on publicly-owned lands. In addition, funding for the first home scheme will be matched by participating banks, creating a fund to use over the coming four years primarily to support affordability-constrained first-time buyers. Furthermore, the LDA's Project Tosaigh is being funded to unlock and accelerate the delivery of sites.

All these measures together will make home ownership more attainable for those groups mentioned in the report. In particular, the fresh start principle, which is being applied to applications for affordable housing or local authority mortgages, will help those such as lone parents to access home ownership. We recognise that some of the findings in the commission’s report on rental costs and affordability reflect the reality on the ground for renters. I assure the House affordability for renters is also at the top of the agenda for the Government. There are continuous upward pressures on rents in the private rented market due to strong economic and demographic growth and the restricted supply available. The most effective way to reduce and stabilise rents in the medium to long term with benefits for the entire sector is to increase supply and accelerate the delivery of housing for the private and social rental sectors. The vast majority of landlord-tenant relationships in the residential sector are working. Less than 2% of tenancies become the subject of a dispute referred to the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB.

We are taking a number of targeted measures and initiatives to provide better security of tenure and greater rental certainty for tenants as well as enhancing the supports and services available to both tenants and landlords through the Residential Tenancies Board. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage received Government approval today to cap rent increases at 2% per annum in rent pressure zones, RPZs. This new cap will operate only when general inflation is higher than 2%. Key provisions are being drafted as a matter of priority and will form part of the residential tenancies (No. 3) Bill 2021, to be published as soon as possible this month for urgent enactment thereafter. The cap will apply immediately on enactment. The previous cap of 4% on annual rent increases was replaced on 16 July 2021, with rent increases in RPZs currently prohibited from exceeding general inflation as recorded in the harmonised index of consumer prices, HICPs. The aim was to bring about far lower rent increases for the estimated 74% of all tenancies in RPZs. HICP averaged at 0.73% over three years to July 2021. Given the unexpected increase in inflation, a rent increase cap of 2% per annum will apply under this Bill if the HICP inflation rate is higher.

We have also extended rent pressure zone protections to the end of 2024 and are bringing forward legislation to address long-term security of tenure, including by providing for tenancies of indefinite duration, subject to legal advice, and for the enhancement of tenancy protections for those living in dwellings who are affected by a receivership. Many other measures are being introduced to develop a vibrant and sustainable rental sector - too many to outline in detail.

One such measure I will mention relates to the strengthening of the framework for enforcement by local authorities of the overcrowding provisions, given this is an the area mentioned in the report. The Government is aware unscrupulous landlords can sometimes take advantage of tenants. While Ireland's housing stock, in general, is one of the least overcrowded in Europe, the Government recognises there is a problem with pockets of overcrowding. We are committed to empowering local authorities to deal with this more effectively and this will be delivered through proposed legislative changes to the Housing Act 1966 by way of a new Bill designed to strengthen the statutory framework for the enforcement of its overcrowding provisions. The necessary legislative changes will be progressed through the housing and residential tenancies Bill 2022, which the Minister will bring forward as early as possible in the new year.

Security of tenure is recognised in the report as a key dimension to adequate housing. As I mentioned, legislation is being brought forward to address long-term security of tenure in the rental sector. As recognised in the report, there has been a decrease in the number of owner-occupied repossessions in the years following the financial crisis and a number of supports are available to owner-occupiers in financial distress. These include the mortgage-to-rent scheme, which will continue to assist those in mortgage arrears who are at risk of losing their homes. We are strengthening the scheme to ensure it will help those who need it, with delivery of on average 1,000 solutions every year.

The report also examines issues relating to cultural adequacy, examining in particular those in the Traveller community or in direct provision and highlighting disadvantage experienced by lone parents, young people, migrants, people with disabilities, Travellers and others in the housing system. It is important to note significant progress has been made in this regard and the report confirms a pronounced downward trend in family and lone parent homelessness. Both in real numbers and as a proportion of overall families, the number of lone parents in emergency accommodation is falling. The progress that continues to be made on reducing homeless is, thankfully, not limited to this cohort. Since its highest level, in October 2019, the number of individuals in emergency accommodation has decreased by 2,039, or 19%, from 10,514 to 8,475.

Those data are based on the homeless figures for September, which were published last Friday, 29 October.

I assure Deputies there is no shortage of will or determination to deal with the issue of homelessness, which will benefit all vulnerable cohorts. It remains a top priority for me and for the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, the Department and the Government. Budget 2022 reflects this commitment by allocating €194 million for homelessness services, as well as €40 million for the provision of health supports. Housing for All contains 18 specific, actionable items designed to eliminate homelessness by 2030. Our focus is on the delivery of those actions. These further interventions will work in tandem with the continued provision of the homeless housing assistance payment, HAP, and the homeless HAP place finder service, which is an important aid for homeless households, as well as households in danger of falling into homelessness and which are finding it difficult to secure HAP tenancies.

The report notes that, in 2019, funding for Traveller accommodation was not fully drawn down. I am happy to say that, in 2020, full use was made of the €14.5 million in funding available for Traveller-specific accommodation. Accommodation for Traveller households is provided across a range of housing options. More than three quarters of Travellers live in standard housing, including local authority and approved housing body, AHB, housing, and supported tenancies in the private rented sector. Funding for these housing supports is provided through the respective budget lines. The Traveller accommodation budget is provided solely for Traveller-specific accommodation, such as halting sites and group housing schemes. Accordingly, funding available for, and spent on, the provision of accommodation solutions for Travellers is much broader than the reported spend under the Traveller-specific accommodation budget. Regarding the commentary in the report on lack of data in this area, I am pleased to add that we are in the process of including a new element in the social housing application form to gather improved data on the numbers identifying as Travellers who require social housing support. This will support further evidenced-based planning for that cohort.

In regard to refugee accommodation, together with the local authority sector and the Housing Agency, we continue to support the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in its implementation of the White Paper on international protection and the refugee protection programme for 2020 to 2023. In particular, the Housing Agency will provide support through the provision of expert advice on sourcing, delivery and management of housing and accommodation, as required.

On housing quality and habitability, new buildings, extensions and material alterations to existing buildings must comply with the legal minimum performance standards for the design and construction of buildings set out in the building regulations from 1997 to 2021. The regulations are subject to ongoing review in the interests of safety and the well-being of persons in the built environment and to ensure due regard is taken of changes in construction techniques, technological processes and innovation. They provide for minimum standards for energy and ventilation. The nearly zero energy building, NZEB, standard for dwellings was introduced into the regulations in April 2019. This new standard improves the energy performance of new dwellings by 70% over the 2005 building regulations provisions, equating to an A2 building energy rating, BER, for a typical new dwelling. Improving energy efficiency improves the health and comfort of those living in dwellings. It also ensures that as well as achieving more energy efficient buildings, we also build healthy, sustainable and durable dwellings that are suitable for the Irish climate both today and into the future.

There are also minimum standards set out in regulation for rental properties, to which it is compulsory for landlords to adhere. As set out in Housing for All, targets for the inspection of rental properties will be set at 25% of all private residential tenancies, as soon as Covid-19 public health restrictions permit. Since 2018, the Department has increased the Exchequer funding it makes available to local authorities each year to aid increased inspections of properties and ensure greater compliance with the minimum standards. A total of €10 million has been approved for 2021, which amounts to a 400% increase in funding since 2018.

This year, we also launched a new ten-year energy efficiency retrofit programme that will see approximately 40%, or 36,500, local authority-owned homes retrofitted to a B2 or cost optimal equivalent BER standard by 2030. The newly revised programme provides funding for insulation, window replacement with advanced double glazing, heating system replacement with heat pumps, and adequate ventilation. The scheme works in tandem with the planned maintenance programmes being introduced for local authorities. The new climate action plan includes an action for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications in regard to non-social housing, involving a commitment to retrofitting 500,000 homes to a B2 rating by 2030. These measures will benefit householders by providing warmer, easier to heat and more comfortable homes, while enhancing air quality within the home and reducing the amount of expenditure on energy bills for those using oil or gas.

I note the need for better data expressed in the report. I certainly support that and it is a key area for my Department. It is important to note that the Department has had considerable involvement in housing-related research in recent years, including in respect of affordability and housing quality. Several of the papers cited in the report were produced with the close involvement of the Department, which operates a housing economics research programme in partnership with the ESRI. The Department already publishes a large volume of data on housing on its website but we are always looking to improve the available information. Our statistics and data analytics unit will carefully reflect on the findings regarding identified data gaps.

While I have had the opportunity to mention some of the key actions in Housing for All that are of most relevance to the issues highlighted in the report, there are many more actions set out in the plan to deliver a more sustainable housing system that will benefit all, including the most vulnerable. Delivery of the plan is now our focus and it is being overseen and directed at the highest level through the Cabinet committee on housing, chaired by the Taoiseach, and the Secretary General delivery group. There are dedicated work streams, led by the relevant Secretaries General, on investment, industry capability and public service delivery. To keep us on track, the actions in Housing for All will be updated on an annual basis, including timelines, to sustain momentum on delivery during the lifetime of the plan.

I thank the IHREC for sharing its work and findings. I look forward to hearing the commentary from Members on the report.

See this speech in context