Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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85. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Question No. 89 of 30 November 2022 and Question No. 60 of 28 September 2022, if he has received the report in respect of 2021 and 2022 to date from the Galway social housing task force; if so, if he will provide a copy of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3857/23]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Baineann mo cheist leis an tascfhórsa, a cuireadh tús leis, breis is trí bliana ó shin i nGaillimh. Cá bhfuil na tuarascálacha maidir le 2021 agus 2022? My question relates to the task force that was set up more than three years ago in Galway because of the housing emergency there. Three years later, that task force still rumbles on. I have before me my last communication to the Minister in March 2021, which related to 2020. Where are we now?

I will come back to the real world for the Minister in respect of the Simon report.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. I have not received the report referred to in my reply to Question No. 89 of 30 November 2022. I understand it is in preparation but the public housing delivery outputs for 2022 are currently being validated for all local authorities, including for both Galway councils. This information will be important for the report's completion. I anticipate this report will cover the activity of the task force over 2021 and 2022. I will make it available to the Deputy when it is received by me. The Galway housing task force continues to provide a valuable focus for social and affordable housing delivery across the two Galway local authorities as well as related challenges such as homelessness. We anticipate we will have the report referred to by Deputy Connolly early in 2023. It will be delivered to the Minister. I understand the Deputy's frustration but the commitment has been given that, once the Minister has received the report, it will be given to her more or less straight away.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire Stáit as a fhreagra díreach agus ionraic. I thank him for his straight and direct response. We are talking about a city where a task force was set up in 2019 and where the Simon report - unfortunately, the Minister has had to step out - tells us about the lived experience of real people. Can he imagine that rents have gone up 24% in County Longford, 20% in counties Roscommon, Leitrim and Cavan, and more than 14% in County Galway? That 14% is staggering in itself. We have a city where no houses are available under the housing assistance payment, HAP, or even under the discretionary payments. We have a serious housing crisis, a list that is as long as your arm and all we have is a twisting of language.

A task force was set up under the able stewardship of Ms Geraldine Tallon, who has pointed out a number of things, but there are no reports. The task force was under obligation to give an annual report on what it identified as the blocks in Galway.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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It would have been expected that we would have received the report for 2021 in 2022. That has not happened. We are where we are. I will follow up with the task force on the matter of the report being with us. We are now in the first month of 2023. The report will be received by me by the first quarter but I will certainly follow up to make certain it is expedited. We are looking to deliver housing nationwide, but the Deputy's case of Galway city and county is a particular priority for the Government. The starting base is the need to get the report finalised and submitted to us and the Minister. That report will then be made available to the Deputy.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I will correct what I said. Rents have risen by 16.4% in County Galway. This is the Simon Community's 28th report - it has been published every quarter over seven years - which gives us a snapshot over a three-day period. What does it tell us? No properties are available under HAP, which is the big scheme in town that Deputy Bacik deplored earlier. She forget to say, however, that HAP was the turning point in housing policy, when Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party stated that HAP was the only game in town and removed people from the housing waiting list.

I welcome the Minister's comment that he is not happy with HAP, even if he says we cannot get rid of it overnight. We have to recognise that was the crucial turning point in the commodification and privatisation of housing. That is what happened. It was back to a task force. A task force was set up. Surely it has a job to do in a limited time, that is, to focus on the emergency and to come up with a report. Instead, it appears to have become part of the establishment, and I say that reluctantly, when the manager and the management should be doing their job, highlighting if there is not enough money, coming back to the Government and giving us a master plan for Galway to sort out the housing problem.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I reiterate that that report is imminent. The report for 2021 should have been delivered in 2022. Both respective managers of Galway City Council and Galway County Council will give an update to their members at the next local authority meeting. More particularly, we will follow up to make sure this report is finalised with immediate effect - at the very latest by the end of the first quarter, although I think we can get it quicker - and that we can implement its recommendations. They must be practical in orientation.

The Deputy spoke about HAP. One of the developments the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has brought in is that the houses of HAP tenants can now be purchased by the council. That is a positive measure.