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

I move amendment No. 2:

To delete all words after "That Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that:

— the Government is fully committed to tackling high rents and ensuring an increase in the supply of affordable, high-quality rental accommodation through continued significant capital investment including Cost Rental and other means and in a manner that respects the security of tenure for renters by ensuring equity and fairness for landlords and tenants;

— the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has brought forward comprehensive new protections for tenants, in the form of a two per cent cap on rents in Rent Pressure Zones, which are balanced with constitutional property rights;

— the Government is committed to improving the security of tenure for tenants and has legislated for tenancies of unlimited duration, which will commence in June 2022;

— the Government has increased funding to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) from €7 million in 2019 to €11 million in 2022 and increased resources for the Board to help further protect tenants;

— the Government's Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland (Housing for All) is the most ambitious plan in the history of the State, with in excess of €20 billion in funding over the next five years;

— Housing for All commits to increased supply of new housing, both public and private, up to an average of at least 33,000 per year to 2030;

— Housing for All ensures that the provision of an adequate supply of high-quality, affordable rental accommodation remains a cornerstone of Government policy under the Housing for All plan;

— the Affordable Housing Act 2021 is the first of its kind in the State, introducing a framework for a new type of housing tenure through Cost Rental;

— Cost Rental delivery is being rapidly ramped up to provide 18,000 homes over the course of the Housing for All plan, at an average of 2,000 per year; the first Cost Rental units have been delivered in 2021 and will be significantly expanded by the Government over the coming years;

— the latest figures for housing completions and for building commencements indicate strong construction activity and increased housing supply; in the year to March 2022, commencements outside of Dublin were up 78 per cent and commencements in Dublin were up 139 per cent year on year; and

— the Government keeps the operation of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2021 under constant review and will make any necessary enhancement to the legal enforceability of RTB determination orders, in consultation with the RTB."

I thank the Deputies for tabling their motion, which gives us an opportunity to debate this important topic and to be, I hope, open, realistic and honest with people as to where we are, why we are here and where we are going. It is easy, and perhaps it suits Deputy Ó Broin and others, to just dismiss Covid, two construction shutdowns, inflation, supply chain issues and what is happening in the rest of Europe and of the developed world. It might not suit their narrative but people deserve an honest debate. We should credit people with the intelligence they have to be able to understand the issue. Moreover, we should not try to send people down rabbit holes or to paint a picture that is very different from what is happening. Progress is being made and I welcome the opportunity to detail areas where it is being made, notwithstanding the very difficult situation in which many thousands of people find themselves.

7 o’clock

I welcome the opportunity to provide details on areas where progress is being made, notwithstanding the very difficult situation that many thousands of people find themselves in.

Deputy Seán Crowe outlined one of the big issues, namely, the lack of supply. This lack of supply is down to a number of factors. For the past two years, construction was very badly impeded by two severe construction shutdowns. Even last year, however, we delivered more than 9,000 new social homes, an increase of 17% on the year before. I will concentrate on social housing first because it is an area in which the Government and I absolutely believe. We have a plan, Housing for All, that is fully funded to the tune of €4 billion per year, which is €1.2 billion per year more than Sinn Féin proposed in its housing plan. It is important people know that too.

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