Dáil debates

Thursday, 1 February 2018

Affordable Housing: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]

 

The following motion was moved by Deputy Eoin Ó Broin on Tuesday, 30 January 2018:

Debate resumed on amendment No. 4:

- (Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government)

1:00 pm

Photo of Pat GallagherPat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I must now deal with a postponed division relating to Amendment No. 4 on the motion re affordable housing. On Tuesday, 30 January 2018, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be made", a division was claimed, and in accordance with Standing Order 70(2), that division must be taken now.

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 49; Níl, 82; Staon, 0.


Tellers: Tá, Deputies Joe McHugh and Tony McLoughlin; Níl, Deputies Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Denise Mitchell.

Maria Bailey, Seán Barrett, Pat Breen, Colm Brophy, Richard Bruton, Peter Burke, Catherine Byrne, Seán Canney, Joe Carey, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Simon Coveney, Michael D'Arcy, John Deasy, Pat Deering, Regina Doherty, Paschal Donohoe, Andrew Doyle, Bernard Durkan, Damien English, Alan Farrell, Charles Flanagan, Brendan Griffin, Simon Harris, Michael Harty, Martin Heydon, Heather Humphreys, Paul Kehoe, Seán Kyne, Michael Lowry, Josepha Madigan, Finian McGrath, Joe McHugh, Tony McLoughlin, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, Kevin Moran, Eoghan Murphy, Denis Naughten, Hildegarde Naughton, Tom Neville, Michael Noonan, Kate O'Connell, Patrick O'Donovan, Fergus O'Dowd, John Paul Phelan, Michael Ring, Noel Rock, Shane Ross, David Stanton, Katherine Zappone.

Níl

Gerry Adams, Bobby Aylward, Mick Barry, Richard Boyd Barrett, John Brady, John Brassil, Declan Breathnach, Tommy Broughan, James Browne, Pat Buckley, Joan Burton, Mary Butler, Thomas Byrne, Jackie Cahill, Dara Calleary, Pat Casey, Shane Cassells, Jack Chambers, Lisa Chambers, Joan Collins, Niall Collins, Catherine Connolly, Ruth Coppinger, Seán Crowe, David Cullinane, John Curran, Clare Daly, Pearse Doherty, Stephen Donnelly, Timmy Dooley, Dessie Ellis, Martin Ferris, Seán Fleming, Kathleen Funchion, Seán Haughey, Séamus Healy, Brendan Howlin, Billy Kelleher, Gino Kenny, Martin Kenny, John Lahart, James Lawless, Marc MacSharry, Charlie McConalogue, Mary Lou McDonald, Mattie McGrath, Michael McGrath, John McGuinness, Denise Mitchell, Aindrias Moynihan, Imelda Munster, Margaret Murphy O'Mahony, Catherine Murphy, Eugene Murphy, Paul Murphy, Carol Nolan, Darragh O'Brien, Jonathan O'Brien, Jim O'Callaghan, Kevin O'Keeffe, Louise O'Reilly, Frank O'Rourke, Jan O'Sullivan, Maureen O'Sullivan, Eoin Ó Broin, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Willie Penrose, Thomas Pringle, Maurice Quinlivan, Anne Rabbitte, Brendan Ryan, Eamon Ryan, Eamon Scanlon, Seán Sherlock, Brendan Smith, Niamh Smyth, Brian Stanley, Peadar Tóibín, Robert Troy, Mick Wallace.

Amendment declared lost.

1:20 pm

Photo of Barry CowenBarry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:recognises:
- that the housing crisis is a national economic, social and moral challenge; and

- the need for affordable housing to dampen down unsustainable property price rises and ensure ordinary families can secure home ownership;
criticises:
- Fine Gael's decision to abolish the affordable housing scheme in 2012;

- the failure to adequately invest in social and affordable housing from 2011; and

- the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government's decision not to spend the €10 million allocated to an affordable rental model in budget 2016; and
calls on the Government to:
- launch a new off-balance sheet housing delivery agency to lead in delivering social and affordable housing;

- compulsory purchase and develop State and State agency land in key areas of demand;

- reduce construction costs and expand finance to ensure construction is viable;

- initiate a new tenant purchase scheme to enable local authority tenants to avail of home ownership at an affordable level; and

- restore Part V to 20% of social and affordable housing.

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 38; Níl, 93; Staon, 0.


Tellers: Tá, Deputies John Lahart and John Curran; Níl, Deputies Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Denise Mitchell.

Bobby Aylward, John Brassil, Declan Breathnach, James Browne, Mary Butler, Thomas Byrne, Jackie Cahill, Dara Calleary, Pat Casey, Shane Cassells, Jack Chambers, Lisa Chambers, Niall Collins, John Curran, Stephen Donnelly, Timmy Dooley, Seán Fleming, Seán Haughey, Billy Kelleher, John Lahart, James Lawless, Marc MacSharry, Charlie McConalogue, Mattie McGrath, Michael McGrath, John McGuinness, Aindrias Moynihan, Margaret Murphy O'Mahony, Eugene Murphy, Darragh O'Brien, Jim O'Callaghan, Kevin O'Keeffe, Frank O'Rourke, Anne Rabbitte, Eamon Scanlon, Brendan Smith, Niamh Smyth, Robert Troy.

Níl

Gerry Adams, Maria Bailey, Seán Barrett, Mick Barry, Richard Boyd Barrett, John Brady, Pat Breen, Colm Brophy, Tommy Broughan, Richard Bruton, Pat Buckley, Peter Burke, Joan Burton, Catherine Byrne, Seán Canney, Joe Carey, Joan Collins, Catherine Connolly, Ruth Coppinger, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Simon Coveney, Seán Crowe, David Cullinane, Michael D'Arcy, Clare Daly, John Deasy, Pat Deering, Pearse Doherty, Regina Doherty, Paschal Donohoe, Andrew Doyle, Bernard Durkan, Dessie Ellis, Damien English, Alan Farrell, Martin Ferris, Charles Flanagan, Kathleen Funchion, Brendan Griffin, Simon Harris, Michael Harty, Séamus Healy, Martin Heydon, Brendan Howlin, Heather Humphreys, Paul Kehoe, Gino Kenny, Martin Kenny, Seán Kyne, Michael Lowry, Josepha Madigan, Mary Lou McDonald, Finian McGrath, Joe McHugh, Tony McLoughlin, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, Denise Mitchell, Kevin Moran, Imelda Munster, Catherine Murphy, Eoghan Murphy, Paul Murphy, Denis Naughten, Hildegarde Naughton, Tom Neville, Carol Nolan, Michael Noonan, Jonathan O'Brien, Kate O'Connell, Patrick O'Donovan, Fergus O'Dowd, Louise O'Reilly, Jan O'Sullivan, Maureen O'Sullivan, Eoin Ó Broin, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Willie Penrose, John Paul Phelan, Thomas Pringle, Maurice Quinlivan, Michael Ring, Noel Rock, Shane Ross, Brendan Ryan, Eamon Ryan, Seán Sherlock, Brian Stanley, David Stanton, Peadar Tóibín, Mick Wallace, Katherine Zappone.

Amendment declared lost.

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I move amendment No. 2:

To insert the following after "as the Consumer Price Index.":- to bring in legislation for reform of the rules for the assessment of compensation paid by local authorities on the compulsory acquisition of land for social and affordable housing, along the lines recommended in the report of the Committee on the Price of Building Land in 1973, the Kenny report, so that such land could be compulsorily acquired at existing use values, plus 25%, which was agreed to by the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution in 2004 to be a constitutional regulation of the exercise of private property rights by the principles of social justice and a valid delimitation of the exercise of those rights with a view to reconciling their exercise with the exigencies of the common good.

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 41; Níl, 89; Staon, 0.


Tellers: Tá, Deputies Brendan Ryan and Jan O'Sullivan; Níl, Deputies Joe McHugh and Tony McLoughlin.

Gerry Adams, Mick Barry, Richard Boyd Barrett, John Brady, Tommy Broughan, Pat Buckley, Joan Burton, Ruth Coppinger, Seán Crowe, David Cullinane, Clare Daly, Pearse Doherty, Dessie Ellis, Martin Ferris, Kathleen Funchion, Séamus Healy, Brendan Howlin, Gino Kenny, Martin Kenny, Mary Lou McDonald, Mattie McGrath, Denise Mitchell, Imelda Munster, Catherine Murphy, Paul Murphy, Carol Nolan, Jonathan O'Brien, Louise O'Reilly, Jan O'Sullivan, Eoin Ó Broin, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Willie Penrose, Maurice Quinlivan, Brendan Ryan, Eamon Ryan, Seán Sherlock, Brian Stanley, Peadar Tóibín, Mick Wallace.

Níl

Bobby Aylward, Maria Bailey, Seán Barrett, John Brassil, Declan Breathnach, Pat Breen, Colm Brophy, James Browne, Richard Bruton, Peter Burke, Mary Butler, Catherine Byrne, Thomas Byrne, Jackie Cahill, Dara Calleary, Seán Canney, Joe Carey, Pat Casey, Shane Cassells, Jack Chambers, Lisa Chambers, Niall Collins, Catherine Connolly, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Simon Coveney, John Curran, Michael D'Arcy, John Deasy, Pat Deering, Regina Doherty, Stephen Donnelly, Paschal Donohoe, Timmy Dooley, Andrew Doyle, Bernard Durkan, Alan Farrell, Peter Fitzpatrick, Charles Flanagan, Seán Fleming, Brendan Griffin, Simon Harris, Michael Harty, Seán Haughey, Martin Heydon, Heather Humphreys, Paul Kehoe, Billy Kelleher, Seán Kyne, John Lahart, James Lawless, Michael Lowry, Marc MacSharry, Josepha Madigan, Charlie McConalogue, Finian McGrath, Michael McGrath, John McGuinness, Joe McHugh, Tony McLoughlin, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, Kevin Moran, Aindrias Moynihan, Margaret Murphy O'Mahony, Eoghan Murphy, Eugene Murphy, Denis Naughten, Hildegarde Naughton, Tom Neville, Michael Noonan, Darragh O'Brien, Jim O'Callaghan, Kate O'Connell, Patrick O'Donovan, Fergus O'Dowd, Kevin O'Keeffe, Frank O'Rourke, Maureen O'Sullivan, John Paul Phelan, Thomas Pringle, Anne Rabbitte, Michael Ring, Noel Rock, Shane Ross, Eamon Scanlon, Brendan Smith, Niamh Smyth, David Stanton, Robert Troy, Katherine Zappone.

Amendment declared lost.

1:30 pm

Photo of Richard Boyd BarrettRichard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I move Amendment No. 3:

To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann notes that” and substitute the following:

“— the number of individuals or couples with a housing need that are neither eligible to apply for social housing because of the low income thresholds, nor able to afford to purchase a private home at current prices, far exceeds the approximately 100,000 on the social housing list, possibly by a factor of three;

— since taking office in 2011, Fine Gael have not delivered a single affordable home through any Government scheme;

— the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness contains no targets and no clear funding stream for the delivery of affordable housing;

— the Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil Confidence and Supply Arrangement for a Fine Gael-led Minority Goverment has no targets or proposals for the delivery of affordable housing;

— Fianna Fáil have facilitated two Fine Gael budgets despite neither containing any credible proposals for delivering affordable housing;

— Fianna Fáil’s Budget 2018 proposals contain no targets or proposals for the delivery of affordable housing;

— the €90 million Help to Buy Scheme is driving up house prices and by the most generous estimate will help no more than 1,000 home purchases;

— the €200 million Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) is unlikely to deliver significant numbers of genuinely affordable housing and may deliver no affordable homes in Dublin;

— the €25 million affordable housing fund announced in Budget 2018 will only deliver 650 affordable homes;

— the revised local authority first-time buyers mortgage will be of limited value if genuinely affordable homes are not available to purchase;

— the introduction of Rent Pressure Zones has not constrained rents by 4 per cent, particularly with respect to new tenancies;

— no affordable homes will be delivered by any Government scheme in 2018; and

— no precise definition of affordable rental homes has been forthcoming but the indications that such rents would be pitched at approximately 80 per cent of market rates, or worked out on the basis of a 25 year cost recovery on the commercial construction cost, are in no manner ‘affordable’; and

calls on the Government to:

— immediately introduce regulations to ensure that, independent of commitments in Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, a minimum of 20 per cent affordable housing is delivered in all private developments;

— directly construct 100,000 council and affordable homes over the next five years;

— immediately establish what price or rent level is defined as affordable and to ensure that this is genuinely affordable for those on average incomes above the eligibility threshold for council housing;

— achieve mixed income public housing estates through a combination of affordable housing but also by raising the eligibility criteria for renting local authority homes, at minimum, to include all with a housing need that cannot purchase privately at current market rates;

— not deplete the public housing stock, as happened in the past, by making it mandatory that the local authority have first refusal in buying back affordable homes that occupants seek to sell;

— immediately introduce an affordable housing scheme for public land that will ensure no land is sold off, in part or in whole, to private developers or landlords and further ensure that public private partnerships will not be considered in the context of council and/or affordable housing on public land;

— ensure that in any delivery of affordable homes on public land, all of these homes remain affordable into the future i.e. where purchasers do sell at a future date, they will be required to sell back to the local authority and that home will be either resold as affordable or revert to council housing;

— fund the delivery of the affordable housing schemes through a combination of the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund/Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI), Housing Finance Agency and exchequer funding as appropriate, and provide local authorities with multi-annual funding commitments to facilitate forward planning;

— design the HBFI fund to prioritise loan finance to small and medium-sized builders participating in council-led affordable housing schemes;

— ensure that all residential housing on National Asset Management Agency sites, or on sites supported by the Strategic Investment Fund, will be a mix of council and affordable housing only, with no housing on these sites being sold at market prices;

— ensure that all LIHAF and HBFI funded developments deliver, independent of any commitment in Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, 40 per cent affordable homes as per the Government’s original proposal for LIHAF, putting in place appropriate claw-back mechanisms to ensure the State benefits proportionately on any capital gain arising from future sale of these homes;

— immediately scrap the failed ‘Land Initiative’ and commit appropriate public funding to all council developments for projects currently underway in O’Devaney Gardens, Oscar Traynor Park and St Michael's Estate in Dublin City, The Grange/Kilcarberry in South Dublin and Shangannagh Castle in Dún Laoghaire, but ensure that all of these lands remain in full public ownership and that any affordable housing remains affordable into the future and that any tenure mix on these sites will ensure a majority percentage being developed as traditional council housing;

— identify public sites around the country for similar council-led developments and introduce legislation to allow for the purchase of land needed to meet the public and affordable housing needs, at use value prices, and immediately bring forward plans similar to the Damastown proposal in Fingal and Whitechurch in Cork brought forward by Solidarity-People Before Profit public representatives;

— commit the required funding to ensure the maximum council and affordable housing in the Poolbeg and Clonburris Strategic Development Zone's (SDZ) and to dramatically increase the proportion of council and affordable homes in the Cherywood SDZ;

— amend Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, to provide for a minimum of 20 per cent council housing requirement;

— introduce real rent controls that allow local authorities to set rents at affordable levels and ensure that future rent increases are linked to an index such as the Consumer Price Index; and

— defend and maintain the differential rent levels in local authority rented housing.”

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 14; Níl, 118; Staon, 1.


Tellers: Tá, Deputies Richard Boyd Barrett and Paul Murphy; Níl, Deputies Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Denise Mitchell.

Mick Barry, Richard Boyd Barrett, Tommy Broughan, Joan Collins, Catherine Connolly, Ruth Coppinger, Clare Daly, Séamus Healy, Gino Kenny, Paul Murphy, Maureen O'Sullivan, Thomas Pringle, Eamon Ryan, Mick Wallace.

Níl

Gerry Adams, Bobby Aylward, Maria Bailey, Seán Barrett, John Brady, John Brassil, Declan Breathnach, Pat Breen, Colm Brophy, James Browne, Richard Bruton, Pat Buckley, Peter Burke, Joan Burton, Mary Butler, Catherine Byrne, Thomas Byrne, Jackie Cahill, Dara Calleary, Seán Canney, Joe Carey, Pat Casey, Shane Cassells, Jack Chambers, Lisa Chambers, Niall Collins, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Simon Coveney, Seán Crowe, David Cullinane, John Curran, Michael D'Arcy, John Deasy, Pat Deering, Pearse Doherty, Regina Doherty, Stephen Donnelly, Paschal Donohoe, Timmy Dooley, Andrew Doyle, Bernard Durkan, Dessie Ellis, Damien English, Alan Farrell, Martin Ferris, Peter Fitzpatrick, Charles Flanagan, Seán Fleming, Kathleen Funchion, Brendan Griffin, Simon Harris, Michael Harty, Seán Haughey, Martin Heydon, Brendan Howlin, Paul Kehoe, Billy Kelleher, Martin Kenny, Seán Kyne, John Lahart, James Lawless, Michael Lowry, Marc MacSharry, Josepha Madigan, Micheál Martin, Charlie McConalogue, Mary Lou McDonald, Finian McGrath, Michael McGrath, John McGuinness, Joe McHugh, Tony McLoughlin, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, Denise Mitchell, Kevin Moran, Aindrias Moynihan, Imelda Munster, Margaret Murphy O'Mahony, Catherine Murphy, Eoghan Murphy, Eugene Murphy, Denis Naughten, Hildegarde Naughton, Tom Neville, Carol Nolan, Michael Noonan, Darragh O'Brien, Jonathan O'Brien, Jim O'Callaghan, Kate O'Connell, Patrick O'Donovan, Fergus O'Dowd, Kevin O'Keeffe, Fiona O'Loughlin, Louise O'Reilly, Frank O'Rourke, Jan O'Sullivan, Eoin Ó Broin, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Willie Penrose, John Paul Phelan, Maurice Quinlivan, Anne Rabbitte, Michael Ring, Noel Rock, Shane Ross, Brendan Ryan, Eamon Scanlon, Seán Sherlock, Brendan Smith, Niamh Smyth, Brian Stanley, David Stanton, Peadar Tóibín, Robert Troy, Katherine Zappone.

Staon

Mattie McGrath.

Amendment declared lost.

Question put: "That the motion be agreed to."

The Dáil divided: Tá, 40; Níl, 85; Staon, 5.


Tellers: Tá, Deputies Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Denise Mitchell; Níl, Deputies Joe McHugh and Tony McLoughlin.

Gerry Adams, John Brady, Tommy Broughan, Pat Buckley, Joan Burton, Joan Collins, Catherine Connolly, Seán Crowe, David Cullinane, Clare Daly, Pearse Doherty, Dessie Ellis, Martin Ferris, Kathleen Funchion, Séamus Healy, Brendan Howlin, Martin Kenny, Mary Lou McDonald, Mattie McGrath, Denise Mitchell, Imelda Munster, Catherine Murphy, Carol Nolan, Jonathan O'Brien, Louise O'Reilly, Jan O'Sullivan, Maureen O'Sullivan, Eoin Ó Broin, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Willie Penrose, Thomas Pringle, Maurice Quinlivan, Brendan Ryan, Eamon Ryan, Seán Sherlock, Brian Stanley, Peadar Tóibín, Mick Wallace.

Níl

Bobby Aylward, Maria Bailey, Seán Barrett, John Brassil, Declan Breathnach, Pat Breen, Colm Brophy, James Browne, Richard Bruton, Peter Burke, Mary Butler, Catherine Byrne, Thomas Byrne, Jackie Cahill, Dara Calleary, Seán Canney, Joe Carey, Pat Casey, Shane Cassells, Jack Chambers, Lisa Chambers, Niall Collins, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Simon Coveney, John Curran, Michael D'Arcy, John Deasy, Pat Deering, Regina Doherty, Stephen Donnelly, Paschal Donohoe, Andrew Doyle, Bernard Durkan, Damien English, Alan Farrell, Peter Fitzpatrick, Charles Flanagan, Seán Fleming, Brendan Griffin, Simon Harris, Michael Harty, Seán Haughey, Martin Heydon, Heather Humphreys, Paul Kehoe, Billy Kelleher, Seán Kyne, John Lahart, Michael Lowry, Marc MacSharry, Josepha Madigan, Charlie McConalogue, Michael McGrath, John McGuinness, Joe McHugh, Tony McLoughlin, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, Kevin Moran, Aindrias Moynihan, Margaret Murphy O'Mahony, Eoghan Murphy, Eugene Murphy, Denis Naughten, Hildegarde Naughton, Tom Neville, Michael Noonan, Jim O'Callaghan, Kate O'Connell, Patrick O'Donovan, Fergus O'Dowd, Kevin O'Keeffe, Fiona O'Loughlin, Frank O'Rourke, Éamon Ó Cuív, John Paul Phelan, Anne Rabbitte, Michael Ring, Noel Rock, Shane Ross, Eamon Scanlon, Brendan Smith, Niamh Smyth, David Stanton, Robert Troy, Katherine Zappone.

Staon

Mick Barry, Richard Boyd Barrett, Ruth Coppinger, Gino Kenny, Paul Murphy.

Question declared lost.

Sitting suspended at 1.50 p.m. and resumed at 2.30 p.m.