Fiona O'Malley (Progressive Democrats)

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this Bill. It is the consolidation of 40 years of legislation in this area. In his speech the Minister of State stated:

Housing is an issue that affects everyone. In these turbulent days we are all too familiar with the issues arising in the housing sector, both in this country and abroad, and we are also aware of the human dimension of the steep downturn we are experiencing. This places a public spotlight on our public policy and finances. Are we getting value for money for our investment? Are we efficient and effective? Most importantly, are we protecting the most vulnerable sections of our society?

The Bill is timely. The Minister of State made reference to how important a home is for everybody, be they individuals or part of a family. People do not like to see their home under threat. Given the turbulent times we are experiencing in the public and private sectors, people are worried about the safety and security of their homes.

I envy the Minister of State his job. Housing is one of the most important things, and the Minister of State is involved in it at an interesting time. The downturn provides something of an opportunity. When I was a local authority member, we could not build houses fast enough. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council did not have an exemplary record for building houses. Much of that was due to the cost of land and similar issues. The high cost of land was due to developers buying up the sites to build privately and that squeezed the local authority out with the result that our housing lists grew. Is the Minister of State considering the option of purchasing houses because, given the slowdown in the housing sector there are many vacant houses and perhaps we can get value for money?

I find it difficult to reconcile local authorities owning houses because, as Senator Glynn indicated, people take pride in home ownership and that brings something to a community or housing estate. When people own houses in a housing estate that improves them greatly and it is a benefit to all the people living in the area. However, as a former member of a local authority I am conscious also that because tenants were allowed to purchase houses local authorities lost those assets. Where I live the houses are very expensive and there is no question of the local authority being able to afford them. Now that housing prices are a little more realistic, does the Minister of State propose to buy some of the vacant properties around the country?

It is proposed in section 13 that any moneys accruing to housing authorities from the sale of dwellings or clawbacks shall be placed in a separate account and may, with the Minister's approval, be used for housing related purposes. Local authorities are due to deal with their budgets at this time and people are anxious to see what will happen with that money. As the Minister of State no doubt appreciates, there is no reward for schemes that save money in the public service. In fact, local authorities are penalised. I appreciate the times are more difficult for the Government as we do not have as much money as we did in the past. Every penny needs to be accounted for. Is it the case that a local authority that is able to save money will be penalised for that? I do not suggest local authorities can hide money anywhere but if they want to invest money in better housing schemes, will they be permitted to do so?

Time served on a local authority can be some of the best spent in public service because one is working on the ground on issues that matter to people. That is especially true of housing. There is scope for expansion of the anti-social provisions in the Bill. In my local authority of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council tenant purchase schemes provided training for new home owners on how to get used to owning their own homes. I am pleased such measures will become more prevalent and will help combat anti-social behaviour.

Does the Minister of State intend to consider within the scope of the Bill a provision for tenants of flats to buy their properties? At one of the first conferences I attended as a member of a local authority I met a Labour councillor from Dublin City Council who was a tenant of the Ballymun flats. He told me that when the Ballymun flats were being allocated initially one had to be a sterling tenant to qualify. One had to be up to date with rent, for example, to qualify for consideration as a tenant of the Ballymun flats. When a scheme was introduced to allow local authority tenants to purchase their own homes, tenants with any kind of get-up-and-go left. It was then that the Ballymun flats became a type of ghetto as the less than sterling tenants remained. The problem I see developing if people are not allowed to purchase their own flats in a block of local authority flats is that they become ghettos of sorts. I encourage the Minister of State to consider the possibility of allowing tenants of local authority flats to purchase them.