Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

notes that: — under significant pressure from the Opposition, the Government reopened the Social Housing Tenant in-Situ Scheme in 2022, and, following further pressure from the Opposition, provided much needed flexibility in the operation of the scheme in 2023;

— since April 2023, more than 2,500 households have been prevented from becoming homeless because of the scheme;

— 16,546 notices of termination were issued to private rental tenants last year, with more than half of those on the grounds of landlords intending to sell the property; and

— the number of people in Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage funded emergency homeless accommodation increased by 13 per cent in the last year to 15,286 people, including 4,603 children; expresses concern that: — the Social Housing Tenant in-Situ Scheme has been suspended since the end of last year, due to the failure of Government to agree the funding and targets for 2025, with hundreds of applications left pending without a decision due to lack of funding;

— there is a concerted effort by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to reduce the funding for, and restrict the operation of, the scheme;

— Approved Housing Bodies are effectively excluded from the scheme, arising from an inability to access Capital Advance Leasing Facility funding for acquisitions; and

— the result of these factors is that greater numbers of people are being put at risk of homelessness, and landlords are disincentivised from engaging with the scheme; and agrees that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage must: — ensure that local authorities have the maximum level of funding to be able to operate the Social Housing Tenant in-Situ Scheme at the same level as 2024, and that the funding levels allocated for 2025 will be reviewed mid-year;

— provide local authorities with the maximum level of flexibility in the operation of the scheme, in line with its operation in 2023 and 2024;

— reject the new restrictions being proposed by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the scheme, including:

— the strict requirement for a Notice of Termination and Residential Tenancies Board registration;

— the exclusion of reasonable refurbishment costs;

— the de-prioritisation of single people and couples without children; and

— the two-year rule, whereby the owner of the property must be in receipt of a social housing support payment for a period of two years; and

— provide local authorities with their capital allocations and targets for 2025 as a matter of urgency, to allow them to process all outstanding applications and reopen the scheme to new applications.

I wish to share time with my colleagues.

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