Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Unfortunately, I do not have 30 minutes or anything like it in which to make my contribution. I have 3.5 minutes, so I will get straight to it.

IHREC's report draws our attention to areas in which Ireland's housing system is inadequate. Many good points were raised by my colleague. We always raise points here in the Chamber, as has been mentioned previously, including in respect of affordability, access, and medium- to long-term tenure. I will focus on two cohorts in my community, which the report has highlighted as suffering acutely in the context of adequate housing. In Clare, based on information compiled by the council, members of the Traveller community accounted for a stark 52% of the homeless figures last year, although they comprise less than 1% of the overall population. They represent more than half of the total number of people affected by homelessness in Clare. The report flags that only 2% of those on the summary of social housing assessments for 2020, which catalogues the level of unmet need for social housing, are categorised as Travellers. These numbers just do not add up. It is concerning because without proper disaggregated data, adequate plans cannot be made and adequate housing will not be delivered. This matter must be addressed.

The Ombudsman for Children's report, No End in Site, published in May exposed overcapacity at one Traveller site in particular and assessed it in the context of children's rights. The analysis was stark and appalling. A report from the Office of the Planning Regulator regarding the 31 local authority county development plans showed that only four contain Traveller-specific objectives and that only one has a potential future site mapped for Traveller-specific accommodation. Last year in Clare, there were proposals to create five more versions of a previous model of Traveller-specific accommodation. I was also made aware at the time that there were 15 Traveller-specific accommodation units of the same model vacant due to historical reasons. What was the issue there? Why can these voids not be brought back into use?

I would like to discuss the housing rights of disabled people. Disabled people are the only group that have their own specific national housing policy. Initially, they had a four-year tenure, which was extended for another four years. What has been achieved? The report shows that disabled people are more likely to experience housing deprivation, including incidences of mould, lack of sufficient insulation and an inability to keep their houses warm. Although the report identifies the fact that disabled people do not necessarily spend long periods on social housing waiting lists, which is welcome, we have to remember that the official numbers of disabled people in need of adequate housing are likely to be distorted. At meetings of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters, I have heard many testimonies about the barriers to independent living. Despite eight years of the national strategy, access to housing for disabled people is still largely inadequate. They are the hidden homeless. Many are forced to live in congregated settings against their will and preference. They often cannot transition to community living because there is inadequate accessible housing. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has committed to transitioning 18 under-65s out of nursing homes in 2022. That is 18 out of more than 1,300, not to mention those who will ultimately transition in the next year.

See this speech in context