Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Government pitches the Housing for All plan as its proposal to alleviate the housing crisis. Housing for All promises an increase in the supply of new housing to an average of at least 33,000 new units per year. This promise included over 10,000 social homes each year, with 9,500 of these being new builds, and an average of 6,000 affordable homes for purchase or rent to help eliminate homelessness and address the waiting lists. Yet homelessness is at a record level and people are queuing on the streets to view rooms, are being priced out of buying a home and are paying nearly half their wages on rent.

Last weekend, the Taoiseach stated that housing was the single most important social issue facing the country, yet plans to allocate additional resources to the Residential Tenancies Board, promises to retrofit 2,400 social homes and a new register for short-term and holiday lets are only some of the promises made under Housing for All that have been delayed.

The aim of Housing for All was to ensure we achieve a more sustainable housing system, with a planning system that is fit for purpose, to create long-term, vibrant communities with the necessary supporting infrastructure. However, the conflict-of-interest claims against An Bord Pleanála's former deputy chairman, Mr. Paul Hyde, have eradicated the public's trust in An Bord Pleanála.

The remit of An Bord Pleanála was expanded from one of dealing with appeals to one of making the first and final decision on housing developments. This idea was the cutting edge of the Government's effort to get to grips with the housing crisis. Fast-tracking the planning process worked, in theory, for the short term. However, if the State's objective was to resolve the housing crisis, that task has not been achieved.

In my constituency of Louth and east Meath, I will acknowledge the recent social development at Ice House Hill in Dundalk. However, with regard to planning, it is proving very difficult to get planning permission granted. Recently, I had a family in my office looking for planning permission for a home for their son on a farm of more than 30 acres where they reside. Their son met all local needs requirements yet was still refused planning permission after submitting various plans and moving the location of the planned dwelling. This is only one of many cases of planning refusal being raised in my constituency office now. It seems near impossible to get planning permission, especially in rural parts of the county.

The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, told the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis that he will remove planning rules which provide exemptions for the build-to-rent sector and that the shared equity scheme for first-time buyers will be extended to self-build homes. This, he said, would be a "game changer" for rural Ireland. This move is welcomed as it means that where there is a gap between the mortgage approved and the cost of a self-build, people can apply to the first home scheme to make up the difference. However, more needs to be done to deal with the issues at the beginning of the process related to securing planning permission. This would help people in rural Ireland.

While the vacant home tax will increase the supply of homes for rent or purchase, in this time of crisis we must ensure that all houses are fully utilised. The Housing for All plan introduced incentives and measures to bring vacant and derelict properties back into residential use whereby the local authorities were to incentivise people planning to convert vacant commercial properties into residential homes. I have previously highlighted the work of Louth County Council in bringing these vacant properties back into the housing stock but we cannot have houses being left vacant. In Dundalk, I guarantee there is at least one vacant house on every street in established communities that have appropriate services such as schools and shops. Why are these houses being kept vacant?

From dealing with the local authority, I know the only thing holding Louth County Council back is the lack of funding from the Government. The Government’s own targets state that we need 33,000 new homes each year. Surely the way forward is to tackle these vacant homes first and bring them back to the market. I ask that the Government provide additional capital funding to local authorities and approved housing bodies to purchase more homes and developments for the provision of social, affordable rental and affordable purchase homes.

We also need to take into consideration the long-term consequences and requirements of housing tens of thousands of vulnerable people fleeing from the war in Ukraine.

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