Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The issue I raise today is housing. Housing is very complex and we deal with it daily in this House and in the Dáil. A particular cohort of people have been forgotten about. I have raised this matter previously with the Minister but I want to have time devoted to it. The cohort in question is the tenants of approved housing bodies, colloquially known as co-operative schemes. A very good scheme was introduced approximately 25 years ago, whereby tenants who were on a housing list and qualified for social housing could come together, have input into the design of the housing scheme and fittings and be part of a co-operative to build their own scheme of houses. At the time, it was a visionary approach and I thank the civic and community leaders involved who ensured it happened.

In County Kildare we have 18 such schemes and they have housed 300 people. The tenants have been paying 18% of their gross income throughout the period in question. Many of them have children who are contributing. The loans, which were capital loans given by the Government through the local authorities, are almost paid off. I will give the example of Fen Grove in Newbridge, which has 18 houses. The loans will be fully paid in 2025. However, the tenants cannot buy their own homes. When people got together to plan for the future and plan the houses, a commitment was made that tenants would have an opportunity to buy their homes, as is the case in the local authority housing scheme. I have seen minutes of meetings of the Fen Grove housing co-operative in 1993 that clearly state tenants would be able to buy out their homes. As I mentioned, there are various housing schemes in Kildare, which fall under eight different organisations, some of which have responsibility for a number of schemes.

There has been poor corporate governance, which has been documented. This is completely wrong. The oversight has been incorrect. The key issue I want to speak about, and that I want the Minister of State to bring back to the Minister and Ministers of State with responsibility for housing, is the fact that people should be able to buy out their own homes. These residents entered an agreement with their housing associations in good faith. They held up their end of the bargain and are now being left out to dry. This debacle has tied these families to a life of renting. At present, they have no option of owning their own homes. Many will not qualify for a mortgage now due to their age. Many have retired. These residents chose Fen Grove precisely so they would have an option to own their own home. At that time, homes were out of reach to them. They have built their lives and reared their families in these homes on the understanding that eventually they would have the option to own them. For the tables to be turned on them 25 years later is totally unacceptable.