Pat Casey (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yes. Having worked directly with the Minister in the last Dáil and sat through thousands of hours of committee meetings, I know his personal commitment to solving this complex issue and the energy, commitment, passion and drive he will bring to providing solutions. Ten months after his appointment, we already see signs of the results on the ground: the largest capital investment in the history of the State and the continuing increase in the delivery of social housing in every town across the country. There is currently a strong supply of social homes which needs to be maintained into the future.

The reduction in homelessness is welcome but it remains stubbornly high. The 40% reduction in family homelessness is significant and welcome.

I am reminded of the saying that it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good. Covid might have helped in the provision of housing for these families, due to the increased availability of homes on the market. When we return to the new normal, let us not return to the scenario where homeless families were forced to live in hotels and tourists were living in homes. Additional legislation is needed to regulate the short-term letting platforms directly, as opposed to planning legislation. I say this is from a tourist offering point of view and that of assisting in provision of homes for these families.

The Bill before us is significant for individuals, couples and families, who are the forgotten people, left behind with no supports. These people do not qualify for social housing, are forced to pay rental prices in excess of average mortgage repayments and have been left outside of Government housing policy for far too long.

This legislation is the first in the history of the State to solely focus on affordability. This ground-breaking legislation is proof of this Government's commitment to restoring affordability and the aspiration of owning a home to the centre of Irish housing policy. The aspiration of home ownership is a core part of the basic social contract of Irish politics. This basic aspiration runs deep in our troubled history. As a people, we were dispossessed and economically disadvantaged. The role of the hearth is at the centre of most Irish hearts. This legislation starts the work of bringing that back into the centre of Government policy. The Minister is not coming with a silver bullet because none exists. He is providing through this Bill a number of options to deliver affordability.

Much has been made of the shared equity scheme, in this House and nationally. I question the narrative being promoted by the Opposition and others about this scheme as being politically motivated. How surprised I am. While I am not an economist, I have an understanding of how the economy works. This scheme is clearly identified as a short-term measure while the other elements of the Bill are commenced. It is currently capped at an investment of €75 million, which forms less than 1% of the mortgage market of around €11 billion. I do not believe for a moment that this less-than-1% will influence the market. This scheme is immediate and can deliver 2,000 homes this year, which means 2,000 families can be living in their home by the end of the year.

The national cost rental scheme is another first for this Bill. It is the first ever cost rental scheme delivering by local authorities, approved housing bodies and the Land Development Agency, which is another Bill the Minister is bringing through the House at the same time. It is tasked with delivering cost rental and affordable homes for our people. The extended Part V, which reintroduces the 10% affordable clause, is welcome. Local authority-led building of affordable homes is, without doubt, my preferred option and the potential long-term solution to providing affordable homes. I fully support it.

If we as a State are to understand the true depth of the housing crisis, the State must now take responsibility to establish the number of individuals, couples and families who qualify for these supports and immediately put in place a procedure to establish an affordable housing assessment process similar to the social housing process. Then the State must bring the same commitment, energy, resources and support to this process that it has to social housing support. We as a Government and State are committed to delivering on our promise to provide families with an affordable home and the aspiration of owning a home once again.