Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I hope I will be able to return the favour sometime.

I acknowledge the presence of Councillor Declan Ducey in the Visitors Gallery. Councillor Ducey, who is a long-term local authority member of Waterford County Council, is accompanied by a delegation from Ardmore. He and councillors around the country know the housing challenge that the country faces because they are dealing every day with the issues at the coalface.

At the outset we need to acknowledge that we have had significant dysfunction in the construction sector for many years. To address that dysfunction various measures have had to be adopted at policy and many other levels as well - Government, local authority, financial and building sector. Rebuilding Ireland is a policy programme that has real objectives to address the housing crisis in the country. While I understand the passion that Senator Murnane O'Connor brought to her contribution and know she is doing her best in her constituency to assist people, we should acknowledge the progress that has been made by the Government as well. In the past year, more than 26,000 housing solutions have been met, where individuals and families have been offered solutions and now have homes. That is major progress, given the state of the economy and the fact that local authorities have not been building for a number of years.

The Government prioritised the refurbishment of the existing vacant stock and provided adequate funds to local authorities so that they could turn around the vacant houses in their ownership. There are also new initiatives to try to stimulate activity in the private sector in our towns and villages to ensure vacant housing stock in the private sector is given up to house individuals and families. Of course the Housing Agency, the local authorities and the approved housing bodies have to be given the resources to make provision for housing, but we cannot ignore the private sector. Criticism is levelled at the housing assistance payment scheme, otherwise known as HAP scheme, but it is a fact that more than 32,000 families or individuals have been housed through the HAP scheme. If one were to remove that scheme in the morning our housing crisis would be far worse. The HAP scheme is an essential interim scheme until we can ramp up the availability of local authority housing and approved housing bodies houses as well. The role of the local authorities is very important. That is why I commend the Minister and his colleagues in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government on increasing the financial resources and staffing levels of local authority so that they can get building again.

The measure of a Government's commitment to housing is the provision it makes in its budget The provision of a sum of €6 billion over a period of five years is a significant commitment. The various initiatives include the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund, LIHAF scheme, where major funds have been provided for local authorities around the country to open up lands and install essential infrastructure so that housing can be developed, the Capital Advance Leasing Facility, CALF scheme and the capital assistance scheme are means of providing funding directly to local authorities and the approved housing bodies for housing solutions. Only last week in my county, I attended the opening of a regeneration scheme on the old cinema site in Dungarvan, where 15 apartments were opened on what was previously a derelict site. We need to see more of that. There are examples of this right around the country.

The initiative announced by the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy only last week, the local authority home loan scheme will assist young families to get into the housing market to access funding to buy their own property. That is to be welcomed. It is being welcomed right around the country. It cannot stop there. I note the Minister announced a new scheme called the enhanced leasing scheme, which is to ensure that financing that can be secured from the private sector off-balance sheet, working with local authorities and under the auspices of the Housing Agency will open up new initiatives right around the country that will see the private sector working with the local authorities to deliver turnkey housing solutions in an emergency fashion.

I commend the Minister of State, Deputy English and the Minister, Deputy Murphy on the work both are doing. I know they are leaving no stone unturned. They are working with all of the stakeholders, including the local authorities, the approved housing bodies and the construction sector. We need to see delivery. That is the important message for all stakeholder. We need to see the plans, budgets and policies that have been put in place delivering the housing units right across the country and where they are most needed, in our cities, towns and villages. I welcome the work they are doing in that respect.