Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion, which I support. The Government should not transfer €500 million into the national surplus reserve fund in 2021. We are in a period of great crisis. Society, including the business community, has suffered great financial hardship because of Covid-19. Unfortunately, I fear we will feel the effects of this pandemic for a long time to come. In times like this, we need to invest in infrastructure and services. This is not a time for investing in rainy day funds. We invest in rainy day funds so that we will have funds and resources in times of great need. Now is a time of great need. We need to invest in our infrastructure and services. I am calling on the Government not only to suspend payments into the national surplus reserve fund but to use the funds to invest in our infrastructure and services.

Last week in the House, I highlighted the fact that the most recent GeoView report, in 2020, showed there were 92,251 vacant addresses in Ireland. This represents a staggering 4.6% of all housing stock. Surely I am not the only person who sees this both as a problem and a major opportunity.

Many, if not all, of those homes are situated in established residential areas where there are existing services, such as schools, shops, playgrounds and doctors. We are in the midst of a housing crisis.

The Government has continually stated that housing is one of its top priorities. It has also stated that it is willing to listen to all suggestions. This is an immediate answer to many of the housing issues and I just cannot understand why this Government is not looking at it more closely.

This situation requires one thing and one thing only - funding. What better way to use the national surplus fund than to invest it in bringing vacant homes back into the housing stock? Many of these homes just need cosmetic upgrading that will not cost as much as building from scratch and can be brought on stream much quicker. The longer we leave these houses vacant, the longer it will take to bring them back onto the market. From my experience in Dundalk, I know that many vacant homes exist. If you walk through any established residential area, I am sure you will find vacant homes, not only in Dundalk and Drogheda, but in many towns throughout Ireland.

The housing crisis is not going away. Once we emerge from this pandemic, the demand for housing will still be there. The effects of the housing crisis are clear to be seen and it affects us in many ways. First and foremost, we must not leave anybody homeless. As a society, we must be able to provide housing for everyone. Young families starting out on their journey are finding it nearly impossible to secure their first home. When we look at this more closely, I fear that unless we solve the housing crisis we will eventually lose out in investment from many of the large companies already situated in Ireland. They will look elsewhere when expanding, if it is the case that their workforce cannot secure suitable housing. I know from dealing with constituents in Dundalk that many of the big employers in the area have concerns about the lack of suitable accommodation for their employees.

On the motion, I once again voice my support for the suspension of the payment for 2021, but I also ask the Government to use the fund for housing. As I have said many times in this House, Louth County Council has been to the forefront in bringing vacant houses back into the housing stock. It has identified many vacant homes and upgraded them so they could be used as homes again. From speaking to officials in the council, the only thing holding them back is funding, which I am sure is the case for every other county council in the country. I am sure that with a little effort by the Government the vacant homes issue could be resolved, which in turn will go a long way to solving the overall housing crisis. As I said, the Government has continually asked for solutions; this is a ready-made solution. It is a no-brainer. The Government needs to listen. This is not about political point-scoring, but about real solutions to real problems.

The rainy day fund should be used to bring vacant homes back into the housing stock. Why build new homes in an area if homes already exist in it that are vacant? This does not make any sense. We need to think outside the box. If we target even a third of vacant homes as ones to be brought back into the housing stock, it will mean in excess of 30,000 homes could be brought on stream over the next 12 months. Surely, the Government can see this is a solution to a major problem. I will repeat that there are 92,251 vacant addresses in Ireland. That is one in every 20 houses situated in established areas, with schools, shops, playgrounds and doctors. I ask the Minister of State please to listen. I call on the Government to have an open and honest debate on the housing crisis and to discuss my proposal that the rainy day fund should be used to bring vacant homes back into the housing stock.

Last week, I raised an issue with the Taoiseach during Leaders' Questions. He told me he would contact the Minister of State's office which, in fairness, has contacted me. It concerns a company in Dundalk, Air Bound Trampoline Park, which looks after people with disabilities and is doing a fantastic job. The problem is it cannot get insurance. The Minister of State's office gave me a contact name but when we contacted the company concerned it stated that all it would look after is outdoor activities. The trampoline park is an indoor facility. I again plead with the Minister of State, whose Department kept its word, as did the Taoiseach, to help us keep this trampoline park open. This is only one of many such facilities and if we can help this one, I am sure we can help the rest. I thank the Minister of State for his support.

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