Seanad debates

Friday, 18 June 2021

Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages

 

9:30 am

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators for their contributions, particularly Senators Boyhan and Higgins. I have discussed this at length with my colleague, Senator Fitzpatrick. It is purely a matter of timing. It genuinely is, and perhaps I can explain that. This is detailed legislation. It is the most comprehensive item of affordable housing legislation ever brought forward. What Senators Fitzpatrick, Boyhan and Higgins and others want to achieve, I also want to achieve. I will explain the rationale for not accepting this right now. It is a good rationale.

Senators will recall the amendment, which we have discussed, tabled by Senator Fitzpatrick on Committee Stage. I am conscious of the broad agreement across the House regarding the principle behind the proposal. The amendment was withdrawn on the basis that some further thought would be given to how best to move forward with the broad intent behind it. There is greater scope for this, even within the original amendment. I have informed Senator Fitzpatrick that once we get this Bill through, I would like to set a timeframe whereby we could come back and amend the Act by way of further legislation. Let me explain. After Committee Stage, my officials and Senator Fitzpatrick met to consider the matter and bring forward proposals. There is absolutely a need for local authorities to prepare and co-ordinate housing plans. There is no question about that. It is also clear that there must be a co-ordinated and overarching approach to include land planning, private purchase, rental and social housing, so all the different facets of housing. We are actually making a bit of progress in that regard. I confirm that it is my intention that local authorities will be required to prepare such plans, including a multi-annual profile and target-setting for affordable housing and other forms of housing. This will flow into the Housing for All strategy which the Government is going to publish next month and which will include a multi-annual housing plan, fully backed and financed.

I affirm that I want us to very quickly get to a stage where we have specific targets per area. This will require details of what housing will be delivered, when, where, what types of house, sizes of homes and so on. There is a lot to it. It is my intention the process will take it as a basis under the national planning framework, which provides for the housing need demands assessment. We discussed this matter at a meeting of the housing committee earlier this week. The housing need demands assessment is a really important tool for our local authorities and we have rolled it out in recent weeks. I think it was actually piloted in County Waterford and a couple of counties. It basically breaks down what housing is needed per local authority area and covers affordable, social, private rental and cost-rental. That tool is being rolled out right now to local authorities and all of them will have access to it. Local authorities are required to prepare housing strategies as part of the development plan process and, in doing so, are required to identify existing need and likely future need for social and affordable housing for purchase. I recently published the housing need and demand assessment, HNDA, as I have just mentioned. The purpose of that assessment applies to a couple of specific areas, namely: to assist local authorities in their long-term strategies in respect of housing needs across all tenures; to provide a robust evidence base to support decisions about new housing supply and wider investment in housing-related services; to inform policies about the proportion of social and affordable housing required; and to provide evidence to inform policies relating to the provision of specialist housing. Local authorities will use the HNDAs to inform policymaking through their housing strategies and plans, which form a part of the overall development plan. It is expected that they will conduct a HNDA during the development plan process. They all have access to the HNDA tool which estimates housing need across all tenure types, as I have said, and it can assist them in the process of policy formation.

Taking all of that into account, rather than progressing the amendment at this point, and based on the work I have done with Senator Fitzpatrick, I am inclined to extend the parameters of the amendment to consolidate our planning across housing tenures and to frame an all-encompassing requirement for housing plans and plans at local authority level. I want to expand it past what the amendment states. This may include a review of housing strategies linked to the county development plans and housing delivery plans by local authorities. I confirm that a measurable and time-bound action to complete this work will form part of the Housing for All plan I have just mentioned. It will be specifically referenced in that plan, which I intend to publish next month. This will allow us a little further time to consider the expanded scope of this proposal and Senator Fitzpatrick's proposal. There is absolute merit in the Senator's proposals, but I think we can go further. We must consider how it would be best framed in terms of the requirements placed on local authorities. It would also allow for the completion of the national development plan review and provide clarity on the funding availability over the coming years. That is what will be in the Housing for All plan. It will also allow for completion of the wider, nationally agreed strategic approach on local authority housing delivery.

This process will, of course, allow for the consideration of placing any provisions in legislation or regulation later in the year. We may need both regulations and legislation. There is a lot of merit in this and, as I have said to Senator Fitzpatrick, once we have this bedded down and we get into July with a plan in place, we can certainly look at this matter later in the year. I reiterate that I fully recognise and accept the merit of the amendment tabled by Senator Boyhan on foot of the amendment Senator Fitzpatrick had tabled. I hope Senators will understand and agree that I have laid out a suitable approach to deliver this objective. It is about where this measures sits more appropriately from a timing perspective for what we are doing with this Bill.

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