Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

During the debate, the Minister will hear the current homelessness figures quoted a lot and rightly so. The homelessness figures are too high and we need to do everything to tackle that. He is also going to hear about the impact of homelessness on a lot of families and that is only right too. I know that he is well aware of many of these issues. He is going to hear a lot about the lack of properties available to rent, not just in Dublin and Cork cities but in many towns as well and that is only right because we are not there yet. We have not solved the housing crisis yet but Housing for All is the plan to do that.

I will come back to homelessness figures but first I thank the Minister for his efforts so far and for the difference he and his policies are making in my constituency. I will give just a few examples. More than 100 social homes have been built in my town of Clonakilty. The Minister has been there and has met many of the families who were on waiting lists for years and years and now they have a home. Now they have a key and a secure roof over their heads. He was not just in Clonakilty; he also visited Skibberreen where more than 50 social homes have been completed and are now fully occupied. Staying within my constituency, in Kinsale, again, more than 50 social homes have been built. These are public homes that have been given over to the people who most needed them. The same can be said of Dunmanway and Bandon. In my constituency alone hundreds of families who would have regularly been into my office in desperation and in need of a home now have a secure roof over their heads. That is something that we do not talk about or hear enough about in terms of delivery. That is in a rural constituency where there was significant pressure in terms of social housing. We are not there yet. We have more to do. We have a lot more to do but those homes have made a real difference for hundreds of families.

I also thank the Minister for signing off on a project that will deliver 112 local authority affordable purchase homes in Kinsale. Those homes are not built yet and we have not seen the difference they will make but when they are built in 2023 and 2024, they will make a huge difference by giving an option to those who do not qualify for social homes but who cannot get a mortgage to allow them to buy a house at current prices. The same will happen in Clonakilty, where 36 affordable purchase homes will be provided by the local authority. We are seeing a difference. There was no talk of affordable housing schemes a couple of years ago. Now they are here and they will make a great difference for those who most need them.

We now need an information campaign for those individuals, couples and families who are having difficulty affording their own home. We need to inform them of the measures in Housing for All that will help them. People can avail of a number of pathways to make a home affordable. The Minister mentioned the first-time buyer's grant that provides €30,000 towards the purchase of a new home. I understand he has just opened that up to self-builds as well, which is incredibly important. When I talk to couples and families about how the shared equity scheme works, there is real interest in it. Homes in Clonakilty typically cost €300,000, for example. A potential buyer may only be able to avail, through a mortgage and a first-time buyer's grant, of approximately €220,000 but the fact that the State will now bridge the gap between €220,000 and €300,000 is a game-changer. Yes, we need the supply and we need the houses to be available but it is a game-changer.

The Minister mentioned Croí Cónaithe, which is something that me and my colleagues, including Deputy Flaherty, have been campaigning on for a long time. This scheme will enable first-time buyers to buy on-street or rural premises and renovate them, with €50,000 available towards that renovation. This is going to make a real difference. It is not going to see the numbers on housing waiting lists tumble straight away but it will work gradually. People will take it up, applications will come in and we will see a significant difference.

There are still issues, one of which is the homelessness numbers I mentioned. An issue in west Cork at the moment relates to those who have been served notice, which is a regular occurrence. We thought that the allocation of social housing would free up rental accommodation but it has not done so because landlords are starting to leave the market. They are selling up and giving notice to quit to their tenants. Those tenants, because of the lack of rental property availability, have nowhere to go and we need to address that. If local authorities have the option to buy those houses, they need to be instructed to do so. Many individuals are ending up in emergency accommodation but Cork County Council only has one or two emergency accommodation options to call on in west Cork. We would prefer if we did not need emergency accommodation options at all but, unfortunately, families and individuals are having to avail of them. I urge the Minister to liaise with the council to try to source more emergency accommodation because, unfortunately, the demand is there. That said, I believe that Housing for All will deliver for the people of Ireland.

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