Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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11. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the measures being taken to improve the mismatch between housing supply and demand in Dublin, particularly regarding the availability of zoned land; if he will provide assurances that the figures published by his Department on the number of units which can be built on zoned land are evidence-based and correct; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15768/15]

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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As the Minister saw this morning - obviously, it is not the first time it has been highlighted - housing provision is a major issue. In fact, it is a crisis. I spoke to somebody from the Simon Community about the situation in Dublin. He said that when he was speaking to housing officials in Dublin City Council he saw the whites of their eyes and the solid fear in coming to terms with how they might deal with this issue into the future. It is about empowering local authorities and also the private sector to ensure there is housing provision.

I am conscious of the correspondence between the Minister's Department and the Department of Finance-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy must conclude.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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-----in which the word "spinning" is used, and the difference between the advertised figure of 46,000 housing units and the actual figure of 30,000, taking into account planning permission and zoning. I have received correspondence from the Secretary General in the Minister's Department-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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You can put a further question shortly.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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-----and I ask the Minister to expand on that issue, his reaction to it and his thoughts on the matter, considering that much of what the Minister brought forward was based on that information.

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Planning is one of my areas of responsibility. The Deputy referred to the word "spinning". It has been clarified to the Deputy by the Secretary General of the Department that it was an inappropriate and ill-advised comment between officials in the Department of Finance and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

The Deputy's question is very relevant and topical. As has been said already this morning, it is critical to address the housing supply issues in Dublin in particular and also throughout the country. The construction sector is recovering from the worst blow it has ever experienced. Construction is only contributing approximately 6% of GNP when it should be contributing 12%. We are working towards a normalised construction sector to increase the supply of housing through the Construction 2020 and social housing strategies. A sum of €4 billion is committed to the social housing strategy up to 2020. The Government is also working on initiatives to increase the supply of houses in the private sector. I intend to bring a planning Bill before the House shortly that will help to stimulate and incentivise further housing contributions from the private sector.

The Deputy asks about the measures taken and the figures published by the Department. As part of the Construction 2020 strategy the Department established the Dublin housing supply and co-ordination task force, which includes the CEOs of the four local authorities, with the support of the Housing Agency. One of the first actions of the task force was to analyse the stock of planning permissions and zoned land for housing developments in Dublin. Its first report was published in June 2014. Across the four Dublin local authorities, planning permissions are in place for the immediate development of approximately 21,000 housing units. The permissions are unconstrained. An additional 25,500 new homes are considered permissible in the immediate to short term on lands zoned and available for development but which do not currently have the benefit of planning permission. These published figures were presented by the Dublin task force and are supported by the Housing Agency.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister referred to the correspondence I received from the Secretary General and the clarification that was given. It is appropriate that I put an excerpt from that on the public record. The Secretary General stated that in the context of the engagement taking place on this issue, the intent of the Department official's comments would have been understood by the recipients of the e-mail, but that the use of the word "spinning" rather than language such as "highlighting" or "indicating" when referring to public statements regarding the sufficiency in the medium term of land zoned in Dublin was both inappropriate and ill advised, and clearly open to different interpretations. He apologised for that on behalf of the Department. I accept that apology.

I again ask the Minister to respond to the House and to those on housing waiting lists, those who have no opportunity to purchase a home and those who have no access to the mortgage interest rates that should be available to them just as they are to their European counterparts. Have we learned nothing from what happened previously with respect to the housing bubble that is growing daily and a crisis that is evolving into a calamity? Can the Minister confirm that the figures being provided by the Department regarding the amount of zoned lands available to be built on this year are proper and correct?

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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The reference from the e-mail mentioned by the Deputy has been acknowledged by the Secretary General, and he has apologised and stated that it was inappropriate. However, I again refer the Deputy to the facts presented by the Dublin housing supply and co-ordination task force and supported by the Housing Agency. We are emerging from a legacy of a devastated economy and construction sector, with house building having been essentially wiped out in this country for a number of years. Now we must get it back to sustainable levels through the Construction 2020 strategy, supported by analysis and research from the Housing Agency, by the Dublin task force in Dublin and by proper planning regulation, which will be further enhanced by the forthcoming planning Bill. We are working towards having a sustainable sector, not one that will go through boom and bust, as was the case in the past, but one that will contribute to our economy in a sustainable manner, supply houses where they are most needed and build the right types of house in the right places. The data on the Dublin housing supply that has been published is the most recent and up-to-date information available.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for that further clarification. I await with interest the incentives, initiatives and means by which he will seek to encourage more house building in the near future. I will make a number of suggestions in that regard over next weekend and I hope he will listen to and take cognisance of them. They will be the result of much research and reflection on what happened in the past, and we should learn from that with a view to dealing with the immediacy of the current situation. I again impress on the Minister and his colleagues that the only way we can address this crisis is by lifting the rent cap to deal with the immediate problem of those who find themselves in a precarious situation in respect of their lease. Others are in a precarious situation by virtue of the fact that two years ago the Government allowed banks to have a veto on solutions to mortgage arrears issues.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I expect the Minister not only to address that issue but also to apologise. Many Members of the Opposition advised against that policy, and we now find we must deal with the mess that has arisen as a result.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Please, Deputy.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I urge the Government to lift the rent cap and to commit itself to building homes.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy must adhere to the Chair's rulings.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Local authorities have been left behind with regard to making suggestions because of the many planning permissions that have not been allowed to be explored.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Minister has only ten seconds.

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I wish the Deputy well at the weekend. I hope he and his party will reflect on the damage that has been done to this economy due to the policies that were implemented over the last ten or 20 years in housing and construction. I am open to listening to any positive proposals the Deputy might make.

I think they will have a further opportunity to engage with these issues in the context of forthcoming planning Bills. I will certainly have an open mind if they can come forward with positive and sustainable housing proposals. Before we get back to the urban sprawl and building on greenfield sites, can I just say-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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No, you cannot, really, because we are over time.

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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-----that the focus should go back to urban regeneration, maximising the use of existing public infrastructure and rebuilding the inner cities, towns and villages of our country?

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Hear, hear.

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I urge all Deputies, local authorities and councillors to focus on bringing the vitality back to our towns, villages and cities.

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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Great.