Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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81. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the emergency measures he intends to introduce to increase and accelerate the supply of social and affordable housing in order to reduce rising levels of homelessness. [12086/23]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister acknowledged that the ending of the emergency ban on evictions is likely to lead to an increase in homelessness from April. In the first half of last year 2,700 notices of eviction were issued and we expect that when we get the figures tomorrow and later this month for the second half of last year the total may be 5,000. Given that our emergency accommodation system is almost at breaking point, what is the Minister's contingency plan to deal with the rising level of presentations, both in terms of preventing people from becoming homeless and assisting people to exit from homelessness?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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First, we used the pause and the time given through the eviction moratorium to ramp up additional supply. I will give the Deputy some specific figures and while they are approximations, they are close to the verified figures which we will have very soon. In quarter four of last year we delivered about 5,000 new social housing builds. We brought back about 1,500 voids in that period. We have acquired just short of approximately 600 homes, many of them with tenants in situ. We have leased a further 600 homes, particularly focused on those in homelessness or to provide exits for homeless people from emergency accommodation directly into permanent housing. In that period we have also ramped up the capacity in emergency accommodation, particularly in this region, with an additional 500 beds as well as 150 cold-weather beds.

It is important to note that the overall delivery last year, as the Deputy knows, comprised 29,851 homes, which was about 5,000 above the target. This represents a very good start for the first full year of Housing for All because we need to ramp up supply across all tenures. We have approved about 1,000 cost-rental tenancies also. More than 500 of those tenancies are in place, with people now living in safe, secure and affordable rental properties. In the first couple of months of this year, although these figures are provisional, we have built 1,800 new social homes. I will go through some other measures that we will be using to provide additional social homes in quarter one of this year, based on the Government decision on Tuesday, in my supplementary reply.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Darragh O'Brien): First, we have used the pause and the time given through the eviction moratorium to actually ramp up additional supply. I can give the Deputy some specific figures and while they are approximations, they are close to the verified figures which we will have soon. In quarter four last year, we delivered about 5,000 new social housing builds. We brought back about 1,500 voids in that period. We have acquired just short of approximately 600 homes as well, many of them with tenants in situ. We have leased a further 600 homes, particularly focused at those in homelessness or to provide exits for those in emergency accommodation into permanent housing. In that period we have ramped up the capacity in emergency accommodation as well, particularly in this region

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister has his head buried deep in the sand. Last year, by his own admission, he missed his social housing targets by 1,500 units. He has underperformed on his target of 9,000. Interestingly, he has not told us anything about affordable housing. As we know, in his own constituency, the properties in Dun Emer have not yet been purchased and with both cost-rental and affordable purchase, he is way behind target but none of that answers the question.

In four weeks' time, because of a decision the Minister has made, hundreds if not thousands of notices to quit will fall due. There is a cliff edge in April. It will then extend to May and June. I am talking to people on the front line in homelessness services and they are telling me that there is no plan for April. My specific question is not what the Minister is going to do in six months or 12 months but what is going to happen in our local authorities and emergency front-line services when the hundreds if not thousands of single people, couples, families with children and pensioners present for emergency accommodation and there is none because of the absence of a contingency plan?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Just to remind the Deputy, his parliamentary question does not relate to this at all. The question he tabled makes no reference to what he has raised this morning but I am quite happy to answer because we made the right decision. It was a difficult decision but one that is in the best public interest in the medium term. That is what one has to do in government. One cannot just make populist decisions. One must make decisions that are right, even if they are difficult.

I have outlined very clearly the additional capacity and the additional builds that we provided in the fourth quarter of last year. Also, the Government decision of this week permits the ramping up and acceleration of purchases with tenantsin situ, with another 1,500 homes for people in receipt of the housing assistance payment, HAP, or on the rental accommodation scheme, RAS, who have received notices to quit. There will be accelerated delivery in that space and should we reach that target of 1,500, more capital will be provided to do more.

On affordable housing, as the Deputy knows, we have more than 1,150 first home scheme, FHS, approvals. These are real people and real homes. FHS is a scheme that Deputy Ó Broin railed against and opposed. We have also approved more than 40 schemes across the country through the local authorities which will provide 2,100 affordable homes for people to purchase because we believe in home ownership.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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What the Minister seems to believe in is taking decisions that increase the levels of homelessness across the State. He had a choice. He had a choice on Monday and Tuesday to protect tenants from the imminent threat of homelessness or to support landlords. He took the decision to support landlords. That is fine and that is his position but there has been no additional supply over the emergency ban on evictions period. In fact, the Minister missed the previously promised supply targets. Regarding the tenant in situ scheme, in my own local authority area, in the year since the scheme was opened, there have been three purchases. In the Dublin City Council area, the largest urban area in the country, there have been seven purchases. That is what we are getting because of the Minister's failure to act. With respect to the tenant in situ and cost-rental schemes, all the Minister needs to do is extend the cost-rental equity loan scheme to the approved housing bodies, AHBs, but he has failed to do so.

Again, I have a very simple question. In April, when an increasing number of men, women, children and pensioners present to our local authorities, where there is no emergency accommodation, what does the Minister advise them to do?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I have answered, very clearly, Deputy Ó Broin's question, albeit not the question he tabled, and am happy to answer it. We have a responsibility to make sure that we work towards a functioning private rental sector. The Deputy knows why the Government took this difficult-----

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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What does the Minister advise people to do in April?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Do not interrupt-----

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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It is a simple question. What does he advise people presenting to local authorities?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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We have provided-----

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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There is no plan for April.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Can I be allowed to answer the question?

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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That is the question I am asking. What does the Minister advise those families to do? He has not answered that.

Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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Deputy, you have already put your question.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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What I am saying to Deputy Ó Broin----

Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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Please allow the Minister to respond.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy may not want to listen to the answer but I have given him the answer, very clearly. We have ramped up significantly additional accommodation through social housing new builds of more than 5,000 in the last quarter of last year and over 1,800 in the first two months of this year. More than 600 homes have been purchased since July and-----

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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Then why is homelessness increasing?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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For many reasons. It is not as simple as that and the Deputy knows it-----

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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What do those families do in April?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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-----but it does not suit his narrative.

Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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Deputy Ó Broin, there is a format for these questions.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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What is the Minister's advice to those families in April?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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We have made a responsible decision in the interests of the public.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister has no answer.

Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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Deputy Ó Broin, there is a format for this question and answer session and we do not get clarity with interruptions.