Dáil debates

Thursday, 16 July 2015

10:10 am

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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6. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which he remains satisfied about the effectiveness of the steps taken to date by his Department to deal with the ongoing housing crisis which he inherited from his predecessors; his proposals in this regard, given the extent of hardship and concerns among those who are on local authority housing waiting lists or those who are about to become homeless as a result of rent increases or other circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28941/15]

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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This question relates to the ominous growth of the housing crisis. Notwithstanding the tremendous efforts made by the Minister and the Minister of State in this regard, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the issue is much larger than was anticipated. It was inherited from a previous era, which is unfortunate, and came at a very bad time. This might be a good time to examine whether the measures already taken are sufficient to deal with the issue.

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Government’s social housing strategy targets the provision of over 110,000 social housing units to 2020, through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households through the housing assistance payment and rental accommodation scheme. This will address the needs of the 90,000 households on the housing waiting list in full, with flexibility to meet potential future demand.

I set ambitious targets for local authorities for the period 2015 to 2017 in my announcement on 1 April 2015, with an investment of €1.5 billion in a combination of building, purchase and leasing schemes which will accommodate 25% of those currently on social housing waiting lists. On 5 May I announced funding of €312 million to support 100 separate housing projects, providing 1,700 units of accommodation across all 31 local authorities. I will make further announcements, with the Minister of State, Deputy Paudie Coffey, in the coming weeks and months.

Ultimately, a shortage of supply is at the heart of rising rents and the Government is addressing the issue on a number of fronts. Construction 2020: A Strategy for a Renewed Construction Sector, published last year, is aimed at addressing bottlenecks that might impede the construction sector in meeting demand. My Department, in particular the Minister of State, Deputy Paudie Coffey, is leading on a range of actions under Construction 2020, including two significant pieces of planning legislation, one of which, the Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill, is progressing through the Oireachtas, as the Deputy is aware.

My overriding objective in regard to rents is to achieve stability and sustainability in the market for the benefit of tenants, landlords and society as a whole. The regulation of rent raises many complex economic and legal issues and I have to be satisfied that any measure proposed is balanced and will have the desired effect on the rental market, while being fair to landlords and tenants alike. Ultimately, any decision on rent certainty is a matter for the Government. It is my intention to bring proposals to the Government for consideration in the very near future.

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply. I appreciate and fully support the measures take to date. My only problem is the extent to which he has been able to identify, in respect of the various local authorities, in particular in the greater Dublin area, the number of houses acquired, purchased or built with a view to allocating them immediately. In County Kildare alone, about 600 houses are required to address the housing emergency. It would not solve the problem, but it would be a major step in the right direction. I, therefore, ask the Minister whether it is possible to re-examine the extent to which local authorities have the facilities and ability to urgently deal with the question.

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I thank the Deputy. I will not deny that everyone knows that there are issues regarding housing. It is probably the biggest priority in my Department and the main reason I took this job. There is a legacy issue. It is like stopping a ship from turning to face the opposite direction and getting it moving again because the policies in place for a number of years had to be rescinded and changed to allow houses to be built once again. I will refer to the position in Dublin and surrounding areas, including County Kildare, because that is where the need is greatest. As late as two days ago I met in one room all local authority representatives, chief executives or senior housing representatives, depending on who was available, to outline the priorities and focus on how we needed to deliver solutions in terms of timelines and turning around developments quickly. I have made local authorities well aware that the resources they require will be provided for them, within reason. I will be very open to providing whatever resource allocation is required. In excess of 350 staff have been recently allocated to local authorities.

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I fully appreciate the efforts being made, but I am anxious that they succeed in the short as well as the medium term. Might it be possible to ask various local authorities to implement, or can the Minister set, particular objectives for them, with a view to achieving them within a two or three month period? One cannot build a house in a day, but a means needs to be found to identify the period within which those now in a crisis might expect to access housing.

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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It is interesting that the Deputy has asked that question. Not alone am I doing it, but we have measurement and management information techniques built into every decision we make. On the allocations given across a range of areas, I have informed local authorities that within a couple of weeks we will conduct an analysis of those that are up to speed. If they are not, funding will be taken from them and used where it is most necessary. Local authorities which are actively providing accommodation and using the available funding will be rewarded for so doing and they deserve to be. We will not fall below a certain threshold. The measurements applied to local authorities have been in place for some time. In profiling every area of expenditure local authorities are well aware that anything that may have happened in the past will no longer happen and that they will have to show results.