Fiona O'Malley (Progressive Democrats)

I am glad to be present to speak on housing. To answer Senator Hannigan's question, the Minister of State said in his speech the Bill to which he referred will be submitted to the Government for approval shortly. I do not suppose it will happen within the next two days but it will be available soon.

This debate covers a wide area, including housing provided by local authorities, the private rental sector and the housing market itself. The housing sector has been subject to considerable change and, as has been alluded to, much of the national housing stock is very new. I caught a glimpse of a television programme last night in which a man who was building his own house to a very high environmental standard discussed the difficulties involved. As this was a new-build once-off house, it was easy for him to do it. He spoke of his CO2 emissions and how his bill for quite a substantial house would be approximately €120 per year. He did not require a boiler, chimney apparatus or central heating because he intended to use solar panels or whatever. It was a tremendous achievement. He made a point, with which I am familiar from work I have done in this regard, that were the Government to decide to opt for higher insulation standards, zero emission houses would be possible. The Minister of State's speech referred to building sustainable communities, which I consider to be an important second part of the process of building houses and planning for housing. In times past, the imperative was to put up houses because people required housing. However, greater thought is being given at present to the types of community to be created. It is not simply to do with housing estates on their own as one also requires integration and the provision of other services, particularly transport.

In addition, one also must consider the quality of the houses that are being built. The British Government is seeking to have passive houses with zero carbon emissions by 2016 and I wish Ireland would do something similar because it is possible. I am glad the Government finally introduced higher insulation standards recently as they will be of tremendous benefit. However, those who bought houses that were built in the 1980s, 1990s and the early 2000s now are subject to crippling fuel bills because of the lack of insulation. People have been left with a terrible legacy in this regard and the Department should focus on a zero carbon project. While I am sure the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, is quite aware of this issue, it also is important to consider it from the perspective of energy security and trade to avoid increasing bills in respect of energy and electricity demand.

Another issue I wish to discuss concerns the changes that have taken place in areas called strategic development zones. I visited Tallaght and Adamstown recently to view progress there and this is the manner in which development should be carried out. All new developments should be modelled on the Adamstown model because it is working. The bus stops, train station and other facilities have been put in place before the arrival of the people, which is as it should be. One can see where the schools are located and people can buy into a sense of community. In many housing estates that have been erected, however, in both cities and smaller centres, people merely buy rows of houses that have no services, never mind the provision of schools and other facilities, and in which one is completely dependent on cars. The strategic development zone model is good and should be rolled out to ensure all developments take place in this manner in the future.

When a member of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, I chaired its strategic policy committee on housing. Senator Quinn has alluded to an issue that I found to be extraordinary, namely, the tension that exists between the council and the voluntary housing sector, which is a pity. What difference does it make who intends to build the houses or whose money they receive to build them, as long as they do so for those who are on a housing list and who have a housing need? It was most extraordinary that the council should become iffy about granting permissions, facilitating or allowing the voluntary sector to expand. That was a pity because there is a great tradition in Ireland of the delivery to a high standard of houses by the voluntary sector in respect of both building and architectural standards. This tradition must be embraced to a greater extent and it is regrettable that such tension exists between the two housing providers.

I wish to mention the housing market itself, to which the Minister of State also referred. One is damned if one does and damned if one does not in this regard. Two or three years ago, everyone was complaining about the rate of increase of house prices and how they were beyond the reach of most people on an average industrial wage. This certainly was the case if one lived in Dublin, which was not a desirable position. At present the reverse is true and the slowdown that has occurred is being described as a disaster. People should get a grip on matters. A cooling down of the market probably is no bad thing because it has meant that houses have reached a sustainable level. When increases were flying ahead, people began to use their homes in a speculative way, which is not the purpose for which most people buy their homes. Even talk of the number of people who have gone into negative equity is somewhat theoretical because I imagine that 99% of those who buy homes, do not do so with a view to selling them off within two years to try to make a killing. They make such an investment for at least a five-year period, after which changes in their lifestyles or family lives may dictate they will sell and move on. Members should keep a perspective in this regard.

I wish to make two further brief points. The first pertains to housing need and the number of people who have refused housing as reported recently in the newspapers. This is extraordinary because housing need should show that someone is in dire straits without a house or that a need exists. However, such a high level of refusals suggests this matter must be reconsidered.

My final point concerns homelessness and I agree with the point made by Senator Boyle that homelessness is not simply the absence of shelter. It is a complex issue that needs all the money and resources available. Anything that is withdrawn from that sector will set back matters and Members must be highly cognisant of the homelessness issue.