Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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87. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which the various relevant local authorities have brought to the attention of his Department the seriousness of the housing crisis which relates to the lack of any available houses in the short term, the emerging problem of homelessness and the ongoing problem of families living apart due to lack of accommodation; if reference has been made to the lack of available private rented property; the lack of suitable family-type accommodation and the attendant emerging social problems arising; if a housing emergency can be declared in those areas most seriously affected by the housing shortage with a view to putting in place urgent measures to tackle the problem immediately; if submissions have been received from the local authorities detailing their respective housing requirements relative to the numbers on their housing lists; if it is expected that the resources made available in the recent budget might be brought on-stream now in order to address the problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4926/14]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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This question arises as a result of the serious and daily emerging housing crisis that exists in the counties in the eastern region, in particular those adjacent to Dublin - Kildare being one of them - and the urgent need to do something about a problem that, undoubtedly, the Government inherited. However, that should not mean for one moment that we would fail to recognise that it is now a growing crisis that needs to be addressed.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Government’s 2011 housing policy statement clearly outlines that the priority for Government will be to meet the most acute needs of households applying for social housing support. I am addressing that priority in the context of the resources available to me. In July 2012, I announced details of a three-year funding programme of €100 million to deliver some 800 new units of voluntary and local authority-owned social housing. In 2014, funding of more than €587 million is being made available across a range of housing programmes. This includes a €50 million capital stimulus to support construction and related programmes, primarily in the housing area, including €30 million to recommence a State house building programme; €10 million for an unfinished housing estate resolution project; and €10 million for housing adaptation grants. When that is taken into account, funding for housing for 2014 is effectively maintained at 2013 levels.

With the benefit of the additional capital for new housing construction, I intend to announce details of a new social housing construction programme for local authorities for the period 2014 to 2015. I expect that up to 650 new social and voluntary homes will be delivered under these measures. I also intend to announce details of a special investment of €15 million for the retrofitting of boarded-up local authority houses to bring these back into productive use. I expect the measure will deliver some 400 homes for persons in need of social housing. The homelessness oversight group, which I established in 2013 for the purposes of reviewing the progress of the approach being advocated in the homelessness policy statement, has submitted its first report to me which is available on my Department’s website, I am currently considering the group’s recommendations.

My Department understands that some local authorities are experiencing difficulties in sourcing suitable accommodation for households transferring from rent supplement. That said, in 2013, local authorities transferred more than 4,700 households from rent supplement to the rental accommodation scheme, RAS, and other social housing options. Of this figure, my Department estimates some 2,400 would have been accommodated in the private rented market.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

My Department maintains regular and effective communication with housing authorities on key housing priorities. This is greatly facilitated through the City and County Managers Association, CCMA, which has a dedicated housing sub-committee in place. In spite of the financial constraints within which we are required to operate, I expect the final output across all social housing programmes for 2014 to be in the region of 5,000 new housing units.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for her comprehensive reply. I know she is doing everything possible. However, I am afraid that events are catching up with us all. In my time in public life I have never seen the urgency of the situation that is now presenting itself. A number of families have presented as homeless that ordinarily would have been able to provide themselves with homes. They cannot rent a house because none is available. They cannot buy a house because no finance is available from the lending sector. The position that is now emerging is not like it was 20 or 30 years ago where somebody got a mobile home and planted it beside a house because that is now prevented by planning rules and regulations. The emergency housing facilities and hostels are full and there is no place to go. Some couples with children are now living in the open air. Due to the severity of the winter for the moment they are accommodated by their respective families but families have broken up as a result of the situation. In light of the situation could an emergency measure be taken to address the more serious parts of the issue with a view to achieving results in the very short term? We do not have time to play with.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I recognise that there is huge pressure, in particular on some local authorities. I will ensure in the allocation of funding that we are aware of the local authorities that have the most pressing needs. We are recommencing a reconstruction programme. The fact that public capital budgets were cut to such an extent in recent years because of the recession and the economic collapse has meant that the amount of housing available for social housing by means of the previous system of construction has not been available to us and we have had to use methods such as leasing, which addresses immediate problems for families. However, we are returning to construction.

There is no doubt we have to use every measure we can irrespective of whether that involves getting NAMA units. The funding I will be announcing for the voids programme will bring back many local authority houses that are lying idle because they need significant work done to them. We are using every measure we can to address the problem which is acute in certain local authority areas.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for her reply and compliment her on the work she has done to date in identifying the problem. However, I would emphasise that the problem is so serious now that it will not go away. It will explode into a serious social issue which we have not contemplated. There are a large number of families in certain circumstances who are unable to source a house. We now have large families attempting to access two-bedroom accommodation units, which is crazy.

I appeal to the Minister that this matter be dealt with at the highest level, which I know is happening, and an emphasis be placed on the urgent need to meet the housing requirements of the kind of families to which I and other Members have referred. This is a serious issue, the like of which I have not dealt with before in my time in public life.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Some of the issue relates to rent supplement and rent caps. My colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, reviewed the rent caps recently but there is a constant pressure in that particular area. The transfer of long-term rent supplement, which came under the Department of Social Protection, to the local authorities, which comes under the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, will address the area of rent caps as this will move to a system where people pay rent on the basis of their ability to pay, like local authority tenants do, and move away from dependency on rent supplement.

I appreciate this is an urgent problem but we are doing all we can through various methods to provide housing for those on local authority housing waiting lists and the families as described by Deputy Durkan.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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Question No. 89 is identical to this one. Why could they have not been grouped together? We are going to come back to the same question and answer when we take Question No. 89.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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As we are over time, we will deal with it later. It is the way the Department deals with the questions. We need to move on to Question No. 88 in the name of Deputy Clare Daly.