Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber for our discussion on this important and varied issue, which is experienced nationwide.

I wish to raise a number of issues that I am encountering on the ground in County Mayo. There is a shortage of housing in the private rental sector. People on the social housing list are finding it difficult to get private rental accommodation and rents are starting to increase. When I look around, though, I see a large number of empty houses. Many are privately owned. What has been the effectiveness of the repair and lease scheme and the buy and renew scheme and how have they been put into action in counties like Mayo? Thankfully, it does not have the same housing crisis as the large population centres, but many people are living in fear that, if they are put out of their current accommodation for whatever legitimate reason, they will have nowhere to go. All the time, they are waiting to be housed by the local authority. I see little evidence on the ground of the schemes' implementation. As has been well debated, if they were implemented, we could see renewal in areas where there was housing stock that needed upgrading. However, that is not happening.

What meetings has the Minister had with the chief executives of the local authorities? He has met them, but how are they being held to account? The Minister has described the significant amounts of money available for the delivery of social housing and other schemes, but there is no evidence of same.

Will the Minister review the maximum annual income bands under the social housing assessment regulations? In Mayo, a household of two adults and three children that exceeds €28,000 in income is not eligible for any sort of housing support, including social housing. I am dealing with a couple who are just €24 over the limit. They are paying for everything. They are paying rent of €600 per month, which is probably modest by national standards but, given their income, is a significant amount. Their rent is being increased to €700 and they cannot find accommodation anywhere else. They are fearful that they will be out on the street. They do not want to come to the State seeking help, but they cannot get any support because of the limit. The sum they are allowed to earn is too low.

In the area in which I live, there used to be a good mix of social housing. Council housing had people who were working, people who were unable to work for various reasons, older people, single parents, etc. Now, very few people who are working or in a position to work are to be found in the newer social housing allocations, yet people on low incomes are hard pressed. The couple in question have been married for 20 years and never managed to get on the housing ladder. Now they find that they cannot even afford to pay rent. They did not set out to seek anything from the State, but we have an obligation to them. Such people should be catered for in our vision of social housing provision.

Regarding tenants buying out houses, there are people in receipt of certain social welfare payments that cannot be included in the calculation of their ability to repay a loan. This is despite the fact that, if they had a loan, they would be paying more or less the same amount as they are paying in rent to the local authority. It is a good policy to encourage people to buy their homes. There would be more investment and people would have a greater stake in their respective areas if they owned homes there. Will the Minister reconsider this matter? Genuine cases are being excluded.

I welcome the pyrite remediation scheme that was announced in the budget. However, the scheme and its funding were not welcomed by Sinn Féin or anyone else, even though it was the culmination of a lot of work. It was not-----