Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senator Mary White outlined our position on this short Bill, which has been brought forward to amend the 2009 legislation. This was introduced to tidy up legislation that spanned 1966 to 2004. In any local authority, there is a housing waiting list but at the moment the lists are getting longer. We talk about local authority housing in respect of this Bill but there is a wider housing crisis in respect of people with mortgage difficulties, mortgage arrears and associated difficulties, such as banks putting pressure on people to repay moneys due. For the purposes of the debate, I will zone in on the legislation.

Fianna Fáil is supporting the legislation. I refer to the current difficulties local authorities have in dealing with housing waiting lists. Donegal County Council has many vacant properties but the council does not have the resources to bring them to the required standard so they can be rented out. Families are waiting on accommodation when the accommodation should be made available faster. Perhaps the Minister of State can raise this matter with the local authority.

Some 100,000 families are on the national housing waiting list and the issue needs attention. On one side of the coin the Department of Social Protection spends over €500 million a year in rent supplement payments. The money would be better used to build or purchase units, particularly when the price of property has fallen. A number of years ago, a housing leasing initiative was introduced but it has not been a success. In my view, in the views of tenants and from talking to local authority officials, the leasing scheme has not been the success everyone envisaged.

What are the Minister of State's views on that?

What is happening with the properties under NAMA's control? The agency has identified almost 4,000 units that could be made available for social housing. I understand local authorities have confirmed that 1,500 units would be suitable forthwith while another 800 are being evaluated, bringing the total that may be deemed suitable by them to 2,350. Are discussions taking place between the Department and the agency to house 2,500 families in those properties. Why is there a delay in bringing that to fruition?

I refer to the local property tax. Local authorities are strapped for cash and they are being asked to collect €2 per week from local authority tenants, which will create difficulties both for the local authorities and the tenants.

Housing assistance is available through the essential repairs and disabled person's grant schemes. However, those grants have been greatly diminished. The percentage available in comparison to the overall cost of any such work is low and this is deterring many individuals with disabilities from upgrading or carrying out essential works to their houses. There is a need to review the schemes to make sure the percentage allocated is higher than it is currently. It is wrong that a disabled person cannot carry out essential works to their house because the grant is so low. Local authority staff who administer these schemes say that they are so restrictive that they cannot go beyond what is laid down in the conditions attaching to them. This issue needs to be examined. Little money is being made available under those grant schemes. We must look after the elderly and people with disabilities in local authority housing and in private housing. If the elderly cannot upgrade their homes to convert a bedroom, install a shower and so on, they will end up in nursing homes and that will cost the State more money. A joined-up approach is needed from the Government on the issue.