Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

After "calls for:", to insert:"- the Government to declare a state of emergency to recognise the scale of the housing crisis and to:

- double investment in social housing;

- fast track the approval, procurement and tendering process for local authorities;

- introduce rent certainty, linking rent to the consumer price index;

- legislate for a moratorium on home repossessions until adequate measures to deal with mortgage distress are enacted; and

- introduce emergency legislation to give tenants in private rental properties greater protections when properties are bought by vulturefunds."

Déanaim comhghairdeachas leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach as ucht a cheapachán. Tá súil agam go n-éireoidh sé sin leis. Having heard so much about the new politics, and seeing everyone so happy-clappy, I hope we will get full support for the amendment. It is unbelievable to listen to both sides of the coin singing to the same tune for the first time in a long time. The substantive motion has very little that could be of offence. Of course, Fine Gael will support it; it has no choice, as it does not have the numbers to oppose it. There is an element of brass neck from Fianna Fáil in coming forward with such a motion today, when it was the architect of the disastrous situation we find in the housing sector in Ireland. For five years in Government, Fine Gael continued the broken policies. To say it had not realised there was an issue or that it crept up on us is astounding coming from a Fine Gael Member, because we certainly raised those issues time after time in the Houses with all the Deputies and Ministers who came forward.

We have tabled an amendment because the motion simply does not go far enough. We are calling on the Government to declare a state of emergency, as it is more than a crisis. We are asking the Government to declare a state of emergency, admit how bad the issue is and recognise the scale of the housing crisis. We are calling on it to double investment in social housing, to fast track the approval, procurement and tendering process for local authorities, to introduce rent certainty, linking rent to the consumer price index, to legislate for a moratorium on home repossessions until adequate measures to deal with mortgage distress are enacted, and to introduce emergency legislation to give tenants in private rental properties greater protections when properties are bought by vulture funds. We hope there will not be a vote because we hope all Members will accept the amendment, but we will certainly push the amendment to a vote later.

At the latest count by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, there were almost 6,000 homeless people in Ireland, including 2,000 children. The most recent figures for the number of homeless children in Dublin show that there were 1,723, in 839 families. The recent Housing Agency report for the Government put the number of vacant homes across the State as high as 230,000 and included a vacant home tax among its recommendations. Sinn Féin calls on the Minister to take action immediately, because there may be as many as 230,000 vacant homes across the State. I am informed that in Dublin there are 255 vacant units. There is no point in talking about the issue; these have to be turned into homes for families.

There are up 130,000 households on local authority housing waiting lists, including well over 10,000 in Galway as we speak. Rents and house prices are spiralling out of control. It is simply not good enough for the Government to sit on its hands and do nothing about vacant properties when so many families are in severe housing need. We have been told repeatedly by the Government that the central cause of the housing crisis is an undersupply of housing, particularly private housing, yet the Housing Agency has prepared a report for the Government which includes a mention of empty houses. This does not include holiday homes. We want to see these empty houses turned into homes for families.

There has been a little talk about repossessions. Last month I decided to go to the repossessions court in Galway to see it with my own two eyes. What is going on there is an absolute disgrace. I had a misconception that many of the people in the repossessions court had totally defaulted on their mortgages, but the opposite is the truth. In many cases, banks and vulture capitalists are chasing people for a couple of thousand euro. These are people who are maintaining a certain level of payment - a substantial amount, in many cases - and who have paid hundreds of thousands of euro towards their mortgages over a number of years, so it is not the case that those in the repossessions courts are total and utter defaulters who do not want to pay their debts back. There are vulture funds in a land grab to take the houses from people who have very little debt left to repay. It is an absolute scandal. Even the set-up of these courts is an absolute scandal. Cases are not heard by a judge. The court in Galway is tiny. I counted 21 seats, nine of which were taken up by solicitors and barristers. The others were taken up by people from NGOs and agencies supporting people in distress. Most of the people who had hearings could not get into the courtroom. They had to queue in the corridor and down the stairs in Galway courthouse, which is an absolute disgrace. That issue needs to be addressed. They could not get a proper hearing.

Sinn Féin calls for legislation to give tenants rent certainty.I again put it to Fianna Fáil that if it is so serious about this crisis, it should support the Bill going through the Dáil today, and I say this to all others present as well.

Rents across the State continue to rise as the watered-down rent certainty measures introduced last year by the former Minister, Deputy Kelly, failed to make any dent in the rental prices. I believe Galway witnessed the highest increases in rents over the past quarter and numerous reports have illustrated this fact. The recent quarterly rental report showed an increase in the average rent nationwide of 9.3% in the year to March 2016, with average rents now at a rate of more than €1,000 per month. In Dublin, the report showed rental inflation for the year to March at 8.8% and that it costs an average of €1,663 per month to rent in parts of the city. It also demonstrated that nationally, rents were 8.6% higher in the first three months of 2016 than in the same period last year. Galway definitely has a perfect storm in this regard because it has a huge student population, as well as a number of reasonably affluent companies and consequently, people who come to work for those companies are taking up a lot of the better private accommodation. In addition, Galway has rent caps that do not recognise the cost of rented houses in the rental market and a new phenomenon has emerged in Galway. I attended the briefing held yesterday by the Society of St. Vincent De Paul and raised the issue of the hidden homeless because I wished to ascertain what was the society's experience in this regard. There is a whole cohort of people who are couch-surfing. I am aware of many single parents in particular who are staying with their children in the homes of friends or family, including sisters or brothers. While some might state they are lucky to have relatives to look after them, and they are, but the stress this puts on those situations is unbelievable. These people have the right to their own home and a right to proper accommodation and to their own space. It is causing mental health issues and great stress and is putting huge pressure on all the families involved. This issue of hidden homeless also must be addressed.

I also visited the refuge for homeless women in Galway recently, Osterley Lodge, where the waiting list is simply incredible. Accommodation is not available for women who may be in abusive situations, particularly due to domestic violence. They have absolutely nowhere to go and service providers such as COPE Galway simply cannot control what is going on. It is time for Senators to put their money where their mouths are. If this is the new politics, Sinn Féin has tabled a progressive amendment to this motion. If Fianna Fáil wishes to prove it really is reinventing itself, this is the time to show Members what it intends to do. One must remember that Fianna Fáil has the control here, in that it has the balance of power. Its Members can force through any of these measures because Fine Gael must come on board to get the majority to put through any measure. I am calling on and putting it up to Fianna Fáil Members to make sure these measures in the amendment are included, after which Members together will push collectively the Government to deliver on the promises I hope all Members will make in the Seanad this evening.