Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Again, I thank all the Deputies for their contributions to this motion. Before I make my closing speech, I will address some of the points made by them.

Deputy Bacik raised the issue of the Bill’s delay, as did several others. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, might already have stated that the consideration of this matter is more appropriate for the Business Committee. The evidence base and meaningful contingency are issues that I will address in my closing comments.

I welcome the comment of Deputy Cian O’Callaghan that landlords are, in the main, concerned about the welfare of their tenants. That is generally the case. The Government, including the Minister, is listening to the landlords regarding the review of the rental sector. I disagree with the Deputy’s assertion that there is a lack of humanity in the Government regarding this. It is not the case. We are dealing with the matter with the urgency it requires from a humanitarian point of view.

Deputy Tóibín raised the issue of vacant local authority houses. There has been significant additional funding and staffing for local authorities to address voids, and a significant impact has been made in this regard. There is a very different set of circumstances regarding the energy requirements and building standards that have rightly been introduced. It takes considerable time to bring the houses around to a high level of thermal efficiency. That is important too.

Let me address issues raised by Deputies Michael Healy-Rae, Danny Healy-Rae and Micheal Collins on rural guidelines. They are due out very shortly. On Deputy Mattie McGrath’s remarks, we can be blamed for many things but we certainly cannot be blamed for renovations taking place here in Leinster House.

Deputy Pringle raised the failure of Housing for All. We certainly do not agree with that. Housing for All is delivering, and we are all in agreement here that supply is critical to addressing the crisis we are in.

On Deputy Joan Collins’s remarks, my understanding is that the wording of the referendum on the right to housing is still being formulated. I hope it will be due shortly.

I thank all the Deputies for their contributions to this important debate. I reassure them that every single decision the Government makes is fully and carefully considered. This is particularly the case on the housing front, where we know the challenge is immense, particularly for renters. We know that behind the homelessness statistics, real people and families are suffering, but we also know that the Government has a duty to make decisions in the public interest and that it continues to face tough decisions on the housing front. No one in government underestimates the scale of the housing challenge. We must ensure that we supply as much as possible, especially in the rental sector, where the number of properties has decreased. That is why we stuck to our original decision on the phased lifting of the eviction ban by 18 June. An eviction ban would have a significant impact by way of deterring the medium- and longer-term supply of rental accommodation, with knock-on negative impacts on rent levels. It would act as a disincentive to landlords who are considering entering the rental market and as a spur for existing landlords to leave. We need a supply of homes for all types of tenure in every place and a wide-reaching plan to reform practically every aspect of our housing system. Housing for All is that plan, and despite the challenges we face, we can see that it is bearing fruit.

Regarding the motion debated today and the continuing calls for an eviction ban, the Government is clear and at one in the considered view that such a measure would be harmful to growing the supply of private rental accommodation into the medium and longer term and safeguarding in the short term. This position has not changed since March. The alternative, and the correct course of action, has been focused on additional measures announced last March to increase the supply of homes in three ways, namely, by scrapping the development levies for a time-limited period, providing a saving of up to €12,650 on average per home, thus creating an added incentive to build; by substantially increasing the grants available for the renovation of vacant and derelict properties and extending those to rental properties as well as owner-occupied properties; and by investing up to €750 million in the delivery of more than 4,000 cost-rental homes under the new secure tenancy affordable rental, STAR, investment scheme, applications for which have already been made and are being assessed. The Government-supported cost-rental homes will offer eligible and affordable housing to applicants – secure tenancies in high-demand urban areas at a rent of at least 25% below market rent. Taken together, these measures accelerate supply, particularly of affordable rental properties, while addressing vacancy and encouraging the more efficient use of existing building stock for housing purposes.

The Government’s Housing for All plan is having a genuine impact on increasing housing supply. More homes are being built and bought now than in a generation. Last year, we saw the greatest number of homes delivered since 2008, and new developments are coming on stream. The latest monthly data on the number of commencement notices for residential construction starts show commencement notices for 2,770 new homes were received by the building control authorities in August 2023. That is an increase of 30.6% on the number of new homes commenced in the same month last year. The strong uptake in commencements this year has continued, and 21,316 homes have been commenced in the first eight months of 2023. This is a 14% increase on the figure for the same period last year and a record by comparison with similar periods since data series began, in 2015. We have made a very positive start in 2023. The latest CSO figures show that 7,353 new homes were added to the national housing stock in quarter 2 of 2023. This is a 6% increase on the number of new homes completed in quarter 1 of 2023.

In addition, a record 14,017 homes were completed in the first six months of 2023, which is an increase of 5.8% on the same period in 2022. Rolling 12 month completions to the end of June remain above 30,000 and we are optimistic that we are on course to meet the overall target for new homes in 2023. The Government is making record State investment available for housing, with €4.5 billion in State funding committed in 2023.

On 7 March 2023, the Government announced a range of mitigation measures to deal with the phased lifting of the winter eviction ban during the period 31 March to 18 June 2023. One of these measures was to develop a legislative first right of refusal proposal which would require landlords who are selling a property to first offer it to the tenant for purchase. Detailed and complex work has been ongoing in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General to progress the implementation of the Government decision.

The Government is conscious at all times when bringing forward such legislation of the need to avoid unintended consequences insofar as possible. For example, it is not intended to unnecessarily impede or complicate the sales process for rental accommodation, nor to cause delays in the conveyancing process. The Government is also required to ensure when formatting legislation that it can withstand legal challenge. These matters, among others, are being considered in detail by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Office of the Attorney General.

We are exploring every opportunity to add supply to the rental sector and overall housing system. The Department has commenced a comprehensive review of the private rental sector to take account of significant regulatory changes in recent years. The review has been finalised and will ensure that our housing system provides an efficient, affordable, safe and secure framework for landlords and tenants. In addition to increasing supply in the rental market, nothing is off the table.

On 7 December 2022, the Government approved the priority drafting and publication of the general scheme of the registration of short-term tourist letting Bill. The new regulatory controls will require short-term holiday lets to be registered with Fáilte Ireland and ensure that only accommodation providers with planning permission, where it is required, can advertise their properties for short-term letting. This legislation is being led by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and it is anticipated that the new regulatory controls will be in place in early 2024.

The Government has implemented and will continue to implement measures to promote equity, fairness and security of tenure in the private rental sector. The Government relies on the private rental sector to provide much-needed housing generally, as well as housing through which social housing needs can be met. Any actions that directly or inadvertently undermine the economic viability of rental accommodation provision could negatively impact on existing and future supply of rental accommodation and the wider economy and damage future capacity and attractiveness for both landlords and tenants. The Housing for All plan is working. The Government is making progress. The new-dwelling completions, commencements, permissions, home purchases and numbers of first-time buyers and mortgage drawdowns are all increasing.

In conclusion, I emphasise that the programme for Government recognises the important role the private rental sector plays in housing people and will continue to do so. The Government will address the challenges in the sector, including standards, security and affordability for renters. There has been clear progress. We have extremely solid foundations on which to build for the future. Reforms we introduced have taken time because they are comprehensive and far-reaching. Housing delivery envisaged under Housing for All is focused on taking short, medium and long-term actions and the Government is working to deliver on its comprehensive and detailed plan of action. Local and central Government are focused on the delivery of housing for people and oppose the introduction of an eviction ban. Accordingly the Government opposes this motion.

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