Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and commend him on the leadership he has shown on this and his genuine and passionate engagement with the House earlier when he put forward his vision for this area. I particularly commend him for underscoring his commitment on the question of social housing. I also admire his strong leadership in keeping the housing delivery unit very close to hand with fortnightly reporting. It is commendable that there will be such strong public accountability and oversight. I commend the Minister for holding responsibility in this area.

Previous speakers have highlighted the concern in the House about the role of the private sector. It is very strongly emphasised and it would be very important as we implement this to examine the experience of public-private partnerships, and that we examine the extent to which the case is made for public-private partnership. Is the profit component which is brought in wherever there is a private partnership outweighed by the added benefit? I ask that this case be made again and again rather than assumed as it comes into practice so we have a rigorous rationale in each case as to why the option is being chosen.

As others have stated, we need to build up our local and public capacity in the provision and construction of housing and, in the long term, in the management of housing. This is an area in which we have seen a depletion at local authority level and a pulling away from managing housing. When we speak about putting people into houses through social housing, people will need to continue to live in these houses in the long term. We need to look at maintenance staffing levels, which have been so severely depleted at local authority level. In the west, many housing estates are half-finished with no clear responsibility. If we are looking at housing on a grand scale there needs to be thought about how these housing estates will be maintained in the long-term and where responsibility will sit. We do not want to see companies benefit in the short term and pull away from responsibilities in the medium term.

I was a little concerned to see the question of infrastructure placed in the section on building more houses rather than in the section on social housing. It is very important that if the State invests in infrastructure that it does not simply serve to open up greenfield sites for private development but that it is largely focused on mixed or public housing development, and that this is a priority when it comes to the concrete allocation of these infrastructure funds. This is a practical suggestion but the detail will be important as to where it goes.

We cannot completely sideline the planning question. This has been adequately discussed by others in the House. We have seen the fast-tracking of housing on flood plains in the past and the impact this has had. There is a role for planning which must be maintained. When we speak about infrastructure and amenities, people living in homes also need to live in communities. As we look to bring land banks on board and put public land into use, let us also ensure we leave space, even if it is in the medium term rather than the immediate term, to plan for amenities such as green spaces that will make these homes into communities. This is particularly the case with regard to schooling.I expect the Minister to work closely with the Minister for Education and Skills in that regard.

I welcome the Minister placing predictability at the heart of this measure. There is a concern about leases and that concern will accelerate as the ten-year leases signed in the past five or six years expire. Where any private vacant stock is taken on board, I urge that purchase be favoured over leasing.

My final point and perhaps the most important relates to the hidden homeless. Hidden homelessness is a particular issue for women, particularly for those coming from situations of domestic violence. In addition to the fact that we must consider refuge places that are appropriate for women leaving violent situations, there are medium-term issues to be addressed. We must consider the fact that many women who have left such situations are staying with family members in unsuitable conditions and feel very distant from any option to secure accommodation. At local authority level, for example, they are often required to be living in an area, but they might wish to change location. This might be crucial to their well-being and family's safety. Moreover, they might technically have a share in a house. I might correspond further on the issue of domestic violence, if the Minister is amenable.