Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity today to discuss this report by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The right to adequate housing is a key element of the international human rights agreements to which Ireland signed up, and it should be a basic need that is met for all. The Government is focused on tackling the housing crisis, and we have seen that commitment in the plans laid out in Housing for All and in the homes already delivered.

In our drive to deliver much-needed housing, it is important that we do not lose sight of the need to make sure that we deliver housing that is adequate for a person's needs. I sit on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and I am also a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Disability Matters, so I have a twofold interest in this debate tonight. Over the past year, on the disability matters committee we have heard from a significant number of disability groups, campaigners, activists, parents and those living with a disability. Many have told stories of living in homes that do not adequately meet their needs. As a result of bathrooms that are inaccessible, door frames or hallways that are too narrow or location issues, there are people with a disability who cannot fully integrate into their community and cannot live independently due to a lack of adequate housing support. One of the shocking things that this report highlights is that 29% of people living with a disability experience housing quality issues. People with a disability are also more likely to report an inability to keep their home warm or to have rent arrears or mortgage repayment issues. It is very clear from this report and from all of the witnesses who have come before the disability matters committee that the disabled community is not having its housing needs adequately met.

We talk a lot about the phrase, "nothing about us without us". It is important that in addressing the housing issues facing those with a disability, we ensure that they are the ones at the heart of the policy discussion and shaping the decision-making process because, at the end of the day, they are the ones who know best the challenges facing their community. In fact, it is often society that is disabling for people, not the wheelchair that a person may be using. In this regard, society and the way we build it and homes simply must change. To be fully effective, these changes must take place at the design phase when it comes to homes. The universal design approach must be used to ensure that people with disabilities are treated the same as everyone else. They must be consulted and their needs must be factored in to the design and build of their homes. Accessibility is one of the central principles of the UNCRPD. However, lack of accessibility is often the reason for housing not being adequate for a person with a disability. Accessibility is a precondition for persons with disabilities to live independently and to participate fully and equally in society. Universal design expands the promise of accessibility and it must be at the heart of housing design going forward.

This report also highlights the continuing problem of homelessness among a highly disadvantaged section of the community for whom the basic measure of adequate housing is not being met. We made good progress recently in particular when it comes to tackling family homelessness, but there is so much more that we need to do. Under Housing for All, we are working towards ending homelessness. I am glad that in terms of Housing First, we surpassed our target of 663 tenancies and now have almost 700 tenancies. I commend organisations like the Peter McVerry Trust that are working with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide homes for those sleeping rough or in long-term homelessness. It was great to see the newly finished homes on Haddington Road where the Peter McVerry Trust is delivering 18 homes, including under Housing First. That is just one example of how the Government and organisations are working together to end homelessness.

The report also highlights rising rents and access to rental accommodation as key challenges when it comes to adequate housing. There is no doubt that Ireland is a very difficult place to be a renter right now.

Rents are rising faster than wages and the estimated monthly rent in Ireland is now 31% of people's earnings. This is unsatisfactory and unsustainable. Housing for All makes commitments to renters to give them access to adequate and affordable rental properties.

Cost rental will give renters access to secure, long-term leases and tackle the uncertainty of renting. We have tenants already living in our first cost rental homes and availing of rents which are up to 50% below market rate. The volume of applications for other cost rental schemes makes it clear that we must significantly scale up cost rental in Ireland. Housing for All sets out to create 18,000 cost rental homes between now and 2030, a target that is ambitious but achievable.

We have introduced measures to protect renters who lost their jobs due to Covid-19. We have capped student rent deposits and reduced the notice period they must give when moving out. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, today received Cabinet approval to cap rent increases at 2% per year in rent pressure zones, a welcome move when it comes to tackling rising rents and the mark of this Government's commitment to improving the situation for renters in Ireland.

I thank the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission for compiling this report on monitoring adequate housing in Ireland. It is a very important piece of research from multiple groups who live on the fringes of Irish society, groups whose needs are sometimes overlooked in terms of housing. I ask the Minister of State to take the points contained in this report on board and to ensure that access to adequate housing is at the heart of housing policy and the homes built under Housing for All.

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