Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the office of the Ceann Comhairle and the Minister of State, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, for facilitating this debate as it is the last Topical Issue debate before the recess and we will not return until September. I wish to raise the important matter of regulation for renters. The Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 mandate a proper state of repair and adequate ventilation for all properties regardless of their use as social housing or private rental accommodation. However, we also know that 46% of Irish people report a problem with mould in their homes, and I would suggest the figure is much higher than 46%. The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, expressed concern in January about a specific block of Dublin social housing where 83% of residents lived with mould and damp, and they are diagnosed with asthma 2.4 times more than the Irish average.

Earlier this month, the Irish Independent reported on the heartbreaking story of a Clare woman whose baby had to be rushed to hospital after turning blue from a respiratory infection that developed due to the conditions in emergency accommodation. That is not just the wishy-washy opinion of myself, the mother or anybody else other than a medical professional. Prior to that incident, the mother had come to my office and explained that in the six months from November, she had to attend her GP, Shannondoc and the emergency department with her baby on more than 30 occasions. The GP in particular is the one who made the link with the deterioration in the respiratory health of this baby because he was more than familiar with the decline.

It is important to note that the protections of the Residential Tenancies Act apply to some social housing applicants but not all. They would include those on housing assistance but not those directly letting from the council itself. That is a massive gap and possibly a convenient gap. I know the Ombudsman and the courts system are available but, in most cases, they are difficult to utilise and navigate and it can be an extremely slow process. I am also cognisant that if social housing tenants pursue such pathways, they are potentially putting themselves at risk of being further punished by their local authority, for example, when trying to apply for a transfer. I have come across this. Even on appeal, people have been disallowed and had to apply again with evidence to show the deterioration of the property and, again, it was still disallowed. That is wrong and, I suggest, is an abuse of power.

The question is whether we are in such a bad place when it comes to housing supply that the attitude, in some cases, is that people must be grateful and appreciate whatever roof they have over their head. Standards are not being prioritised, which is a huge concern. I agree the focus should be on supply but I am concerned it is at the expense of the focus on standards in particular.

I commend the Department on extending the housing stock, which I fully support, although I believe it should go much further. I wish it was more achievable for low-income families and wish that more of it served rural communities like those in County Clare. I commend the efforts made. However, I need to ask whether there is a plan in place to ensure the housing stock is fit for human habitation and thereby ensure the provision of adequate accommodation that does not have an impact on people's health.

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