Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is not possible to do that unless a person is prepared to say " I am willing to act when in government."If the Members opposite do, then let us have a proper meaningful talk.

I will give the Members opposite some figures. Up to €200 million has been allocated to the local infrastructure housing activation fund to remove infrastructure blockages to larger housing developments and, in turn, to deliver more supply. A help-to-buy scheme has been announced for first-time buyers with a tax refund of up to 5% of the value of the house with a €20,000 cap. I know the academics have had a field day before and since the Budget Statement. However, I have had telephone calls today from people who want to buy a house in Cork city but tell me they cannot find one.

We have given a 5% increase in tax relief for landlords in 2017 to encourage investment. One problem we have is people with distressed mortgages in buy-to-let schemes and it is in rag order. Some of the conditions of rental properties are sinful and immoral. I have a fundamental difficulty in how the Private Residential Tenancies Board, PRTB, does it business. We need to be more proactive in going after those landlords who do not treat tenants with respect. The increased threshold for the rent a room scheme to €14,000 will ease pressures on rents. An increase of €105 million for the housing assistance payment scheme will benefit 15,000 families.

The four keys areas in tenancies are security, supply, standards and services. Rather than divide the House, will Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh park the Bill? Like the housing committee in the Dáil, we should come together in a national movement to ensure supply is increased and we do not have the awful human tragedies of people living on the streets of our cities, not able to rent or buy a house. These are the very people we meet every day. There is nothing more distressing or upsetting than to be confronted with the possibility of losing a tenancy or being homeless. Political point scoring does not work. The Government is committed to dealing with this. Members opposite should join us in ending this scourge. Together we can go back to the people who have elected us to the Houses of the Oireachtas to improve their lives, which is a fundamental part of this budget.