Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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The social housing programme has collapsed in most constituencies, including mine. Dublin City Council figures show that last year, 16,600 families and individuals were on its housing waiting list, with 7,538 on the transfer list. A total of 32% of applicants were waiting more than five years, with 2,544 waiting more than seven years. I describe these figures as deeply damaging to the credibility of Dublin City Council and the Government. In addition, Fingal County Council confirmed to me that 9,082 families and individuals were waiting for housing on its council housing list.

When Members of this House are able to retire to our comfortable homes or lodgings after long days in the Dáil, 80 to 90 people will be sleeping on the streets of this city. They will sleep outside on this very night as they have done over recent bitter November nights. It is unacceptable and disgraceful.

Like other Members I receive many phone calls and e-mails from constituents. I meet many of them at my weekly information clinics who are in dire straits with regard to housing. They describe very difficult home circumstances. They may be on a housing waiting list for anything from five to 13 years. A typical example is a young woman with three children who has been living for the past five or six years in very cramped conditions with her adult siblings and her parents in a modest two-bedroom house.

A few weeks ago I asked the Taoiseach whether a social housing investment programme would be implemented in 2012. I have studied budget 2013 as best I can but I have not found any evidence of any serious intent on the part of this Government to address this issue. I estimate that perhaps only a few dozen individuals and households were rehoused in the past year in my constituency out of the 4,000 on the Dublin North-Central housing list.

The Minister of State with responsibility for housing, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, is committed to tackling the issue but it is impossible for any progress to be made unless proper funding is allocated to kick-start the social housing programme. This would also have a beneficial effect on the construction industry.

I have spoken about the appalling treatment of citizens who have been left on the waiting list, in some cases for up to 15 years. I have long urged Dublin City Council to move away from its historic points-based, priority-based housing list system to a system based on time on the list, as used in Fingal County Council. I am a former Dublin City Council councillor. The council last week decided to move to the system of time on the list, which is a fair and transparent system. It is a case of first come, first served. It now awaits the Minister, Deputy Hogan, to sign the regulation. When will he sign that regulation?

Under the Fianna Fáil regime led by Ahern and Cowen, the failure of local authorities to provide social housing meant a massive growth in the private rental sector. In the past five years since 2007, almost €3 billion has been expended on rent supplement allowances. This money has gone into the pockets of private landlords. Ordinary constituents wonder why that money was not used to fund a housing programme.

When will the promised housing Bill come before the House? I refer in particular to provisions in respect of the administration of voluntary housing bodies. My constituency has organisations such as NABCO, Iveagh Trust, Respond and Clúid. There is no legislation governing estate management and tenancy and it is urgently needed.

The Minister, Deputy Hogan, gave two deadlines - the first Sunday in September and then a further ten days - to the developers, builders, auctioneers, insurance companies in respect of the pyrite disaster. He keeps issuing deadlines but when will he take action? When will he decide to levy the industry which did those terrible things to households? People are upset that they are expected to pay a housing tax - which the House will discuss tomorrow - on houses which are worthless because they need to be remediated. I ask the Minister of State to bring these points to the attention of the Minister.

On a final point, I ask the Minister of State to ask if the Minister will join us next Monday at 7.30 p.m. at Priory Hall for a candlelight vigil. Those families - a total of 250 people - are facing a second Christmas out of their homes at Priory Hall. I am sure they would be delighted to see him at the vigil next Monday night at Priory Hall.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Broughan for raising this issue. I may not have the comprehensive reply he wants but I will bring his concerns to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Hogan. The current economic crisis is severely testing the capacity of the State to meet social housing need. Financial considerations mean local authorities are effectively no longer engaged in large-scale housing stock construction programmes at the very time when demand for housing services is at its greatest. The Government's housing policy statement, published in June 2011, sets out a new approach for housing provision that recognises these key unfortunate realities. It is specifically predicated on a tenure-neutral approach that focuses on enabling households to access the housing solution that best suited to their needs at a point in time. While home ownership is still a very valid aspiration for a majority of households, it is no longer the acme of all tenure options.

The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, in conjunction with the housing authorities and with not-for-profit approved housing bodies, is engaging in a range of innovative and flexible housing solutions to meet housing need in general, and homelessness in particular. I acknowledge the Deputy's campaigning work on behalf of the homeless I sympathise with the fact that up to 80 people are sleeping on the streets of Dublin tonight. I cannot even imagine what it must be like on such a cold evening. I appreciate the Deputy's point about homelessness.

The Department's approach to homelessness is to focus on providing people with a home where they can live as full and valued members of society.

That is why Government policy in this area is moving to a housing-led approach rather than the traditional model that places hostel or shelter-type accommodation at the centre of accommodation provision. This change will take time to implement, but the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, is committed to seeing it through. People deserve the dignity of a home. We must obviously bear in mind the financial constraints.

Early in the new year, the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, will be issuing a policy statement on homelessness. This will indicate what we expect from housing authorities and other stakeholders in accelerating progress towards realising the ambition of eliminating involuntary long-term homelessness. The Minister of State has sought to put in place real solutions for people who find themselves without a home. Investment of nearly €50 million has been provided by central and local government in the provision of homelessness services in 2012.

With regard to wider demand for social housing, the Government's focus is on optimising the delivery of social housing for the resources invested. To achieve this, it is essential that we tailor the use of available Exchequer supports to prevailing conditions and explore the full range of solutions to address housing needs.

The social housing capital budget has had to be reduced from €1.535 billion in 2008 to just over €333.7 million this year - this is a considerable reduction - and the financial parameters within which we will be operating for the coming years rule out a return to large capital-funded construction programmes. Nevertheless, the Minister of State is committed to responding more quickly and on a larger scale to social housing support needs across the country through a variety of mechanisms, including through increased provision of social housing. Delivery is being significantly facilitated through more flexible funding models such as the rental accommodation scheme and leasing, but the Minister of State is also developing other funding mechanisms that will increase the supply of permanent new social housing. In spite of these challenging circumstances, a tentative projection of 4,000 housing units is anticipated for 2012.

The Minister of State will continue to target available resources to ensure the critical housing needs of the most vulnerable sectors of our society are addressed. Precise data are critical in this regard, which is why the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government will in 2013 carry out a full housing-needs assessment, the first such assessment to be carried out under the 2009 housing Act. This will give a comprehensive picture of real need and help to direct scarce resources to best effect.

I will pass on Deputy Broughan's concerns on Priory Hall to the Minister, Deputy Hogan.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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I warmly welcome that because the householders of Priory Hall are anxiously awaiting the recommendation of Mr. Justice Finnegan. Those with pyrite damaged homes are waiting to know whether the Government will put in place a facility regarding the new house tax, which is having an impact on them, and whether the deadline has been reached.

The current social housing capital budget is €333.7 million, a very disappointing sum. The Government is supposed to be getting €400 million plus for the 4G communications auction. Could at least part of this not be hypothecated to address the awful housing problem? Might this be considered? I understand we are not going to make the promissory note payment at the end of March. We slotted into the Estimates for the medium term approximately €5 billion between interest and capital repayments. Are there not more areas in the kitty that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government should be examining to kick-start the sector and get all the unemployed construction workers back onto the sites?

It is shocking that 80 to 90 people might be sleeping out tonight. There was a recent tragic death involving a homeless person in Bray. This urgent issue needs to be addressed in the coming days. When will the housing Bill be introduced?

With regard to the rent-to-buy and rental accommodation schemes, the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, mentioned various initiatives. Do the Minister, Deputy Hogan, and Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, intend to do something more dramatic regarding plans for long-term rental?

Has the Minister of State given any consideration to allowing local authorities themselves to engage in housing construction like the voluntary bodies by establishing their own construction and housing-management companies? It would involve emulating what Clúid, NABCO and other bodies have done. Thus, local authorities, such as Sligo county and city councils, could take the initiative rather than wait for individuals in the community to do so.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Minister, Deputy Hogan, is very far-reaching in his thinking. The biggest shake-up in local government in 100 years has taken place under his watch. This involves a considerable change of mindset. Bearing in mind the limited budget and very scarce resources, I am quite certain value for money will be achieved in respect of the buy-to-let and rental accommodation schemes.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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We need more money.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Given the amount of rental accommodation available throughout the country, not only in Dublin, I have no doubt the Minister and Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, will do their very best to obtain the best value for money despite the very limited resources made available through the voted Estimate.

It is obviously a matter for the Minister for Finance to deal with the money allocated for the 4G communications auction. I will raise the timeline for the legislation with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. I note what the Deputy said and the Minister will revert to him.

With regard to homelessness and people sleeping out, we are very fortunate that there are some fantastic services providing short-term solutions. Members of the voluntary sector are bringing people into shelters in the city every night. I hope sincerely that the homeless will be facilitated in every way possible. Members of the Garda Síochána are identifying people. It is very important that, in the short term, the homeless must be facilitated, especially in this very difficult climate. This is only a short-term solution, not a long-term one.