Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on this motion. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ahern, to the House.

Housing is one of the most interesting political topics with which we are faced. Regardless of what Government is in power or what resources are available, the Government of the day always has a choice when it comes to housing policy. Within the next 12 months or so the country will elect a new Government. We do not yet know the hue of that Government but housing will again become one of the top political issues, not just of the election campaign but, I hope, one of the main political priorities of the new Government.

I hope the next Government will provide a full Cabinet portfolio for a Minister for housing. I am like a long-playing record on this issue as I have referred to it on numerous occasions in this House and elsewhere. Senator Jim Walsh referred to our huge economic dependence on housing. Approximately 240,000 people work in the construction sector. It is important from a social as well as economic point of view that housing is given top priority at Cabinet level.

We still have a housing crisis although it is not the same as that experienced in the 1970s and 1980s. The issues that currently arise in this regard relate to land use, house design, rural planning, land zoning and affordability. All of these issues must be addressed in the next five to ten years by a Cabinet Minister. Currently, the Minister of State with responsibility for housing is part of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government but given the importance of housing, a full Cabinet Minister should be appointed for at least a five or ten-year period.

The Government often refers to the record supply of housing stock, which is laudable. New housing construction is evident in every townland, village and town around the country. In spite of that, significant housing problems remain. Local authority housing waiting lists are still a fact of life. Social and affordable housing schemes assist persons to purchase houses but these schemes require streamlining.

I agree with what the previous speaker said about the shared ownership scheme. That scheme is in place for the past ten or 12 years and, although it was slow in taking off, it has worked well. It was initially difficult for public representatives to explain to their constituents but it is now a popular scheme that allows people to get on the property ladder. After three or four years the vast majority of people take out a bank or building society loan to purchase their property outright and leave the shared ownership scheme.

Senator Jim Walsh's point about the local authority's share of the equity is valid. It is a penalising factor and must be examined. The income limits and some of the other rules must also be examined. We must encourage the maximum possible number of people to avail of the scheme. The combination of shared ownership loans and affordable housing can contribute positively towards addressing the housing needs of thousands of people if we can get the equation right. Not enough is done by local authorities to sell the housing policy. Staff shortages mean that insufficient people are available to do this work. We must ensure there is always an adequate response to social housing needs, but social and affordable housing and shared ownership must be seen as the route forward for many people on lower incomes. Minor adjustment to some of the rules governing the scheme is required.

Another issue which I would urge the Minister of State to examine is a throwback to the mid-1980s — the housing reconstruction grants and loans scheme, which became a prisoner of its own success. A small number of units of accommodation are still occupied by people who are probably on a local authority waiting list and whose needs could be looked after in a more constructive way, if one will pardon the pun, if a grant scheme or favourable loan scheme were available. Tens of thousands of people qualified for the house improvement grants scheme of the mid to late 1980s. The problem on that occasion was that the scheme was not means tested. If we could revisit this scheme and possibly examine means testing it, it might take care of the housing needs of a certain number of people. All of our individual housing policies have a role to play. Where we fall down is in co-ordinating these policies and piecing the jigsaw together. This is why we need a more streamlined and politically stronger machine driving housing policy, which is why I return to my earlier suggestion that the post of Minister for housing be created. Having said that, I appreciate the work being carried out across the country. Private developers are carrying out outstanding work and local authorities are beginning to make an impact. I accept that Part V is now about to come into play and produce the numbers we need. We must continue this work because given our booming Celtic tiger economy, it is unforgivable that tens of thousands of people have no prospect of housing themselves without State assistance. We, as State representatives, must come to their aid and try to ensure that the basic right of housing is made available to all citizens.