Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Questions came from members of the Government regarding the review. My amendments concern the review and are intended to try to strengthen it. This amendment asks that "Not later than 31 October 2022" a report be provided breaking down the numbers of social, cost rental and affordable houses in each local authority area. We hear social and affordable housing being bundled together constantly. There are, though, many different aspects contained within those categories. I refer to social housing, which is public housing that stays as public housing and that is rented to those on the social housing list. In addition, there is public cost rental. That model describes housing which is rented at a reasonable and affordable rate - we will leave aside for the moment the issue of how affordability is determined - and where that property remains part of the public housing stock in the long term. I refer to a situation where the cost to the State or a local authority of building that housing is recovered over a long time. One could argue that is what all social housing is anyway, in essence. It is a concept where rent is paid over a certain period of time according to what can be afforded. Many social housing estates across the country have been paid for over time.

Overall, then, categories of housing include social housing and public or approved housing body, AHB, cost-rental housing. The overall goal though is to provide housing. Another model then, is private cost rental for commercial equity returns. This Bill also provides for that concept. It is a different approach, because in that case we are dealing with a situation where profits are made each year through the equity return. In addition, an asset that was originally built on public land will go to the private investment firm in the end. We also have the category of affordable housing that is directly purchased by individuals and families. While I have some concerns in this regard, because we have seen problems arise when we lose public land, at least that housing is going to individual householders. Other Members have amendments seeking to secure and copperfasten that aspect.

Therefore, there are many differences across this area of housing delivery. My amendment would require that by October 2022 the agency would tell us exactly how many social and cost rental houses have been delivered. It would also provide a breakdown of what kinds of cost-rental housing have been delivered, as well as a breakdown of affordable housing. In addition, that report from the agency would detail where the costs are being incurred. It will be important to have that information before October 2022. I state that because, as I said before, we have a limited moment of opportunity now. We have a window during which the European Union's fiscal rules have been suspended and where the State can spend money and support local authorities in building housing. It was disingenuous for it to have been stated that this mechanism will only be used where local authorities will not build. Many local authorities have wanted to build houses, but they have been denied those opportunities. Instead, they have been told that they must lease houses. That is a fact.

This, then, is the window we have. Probably from about 2023 or 2024, we will see hawkish narratives coming from Fine Gael Ministers, and it is there already in a European perspective, about the necessity of austerity returning and then the window for State funding will close. The question then is what will we have achieved from this moment when we have zero interest zones and other incentives to act. When we look back, what will we have used this window of opportunity for? Will we have used it to build up housing stock for the State on public land? Will we instead have used this time to channel this opportunity through private investment firms with different goals that will get the long-term dividend in 25 years? This is the chance and the opportunity we have now.

Those of us urging that this fiscal opportunity be made use of are also saying that it should be used wisely for the public good. It should be used to ensure the long-term resilience of the State in the face of future shocks and market speculation, and that is what the recovery and resilience funding from the EU is intended for. Previous market speculation has caused great damage to security of tenure and housing provision in this country. It is for that reason that it matters how this window of opportunity is used right from the outset. That is why my amendment requests that a breakdown be provided on housing delivery from October 2022. I also suggest that general reporting in this regard should be provided within three years instead of five years. We have talked a great deal about how the Government has allowed local authorities to delay their local development plans. In doing so, that has also created a situation where some of those local authorities may well miss out on this window of fiscal opportunity when they do come to create their local development plans. It will then be the Land Development Agency which steps in, because the local authorities may not have the new development plans in place in time to allow them to seize the fiscal opportunity and be supported with funding from the State.That is for each local authority to consider, but they should consider very carefully whether to delay their plans and for how long. They should be at the table in accessing this fiscal space and in leading the ideas in regard to what comes forward. That is the concern about the timing. I have tabled other amendments, although I know we will not get to them, that sought to provide that it would be the latest development plan, that is, that which was published in the past three years or which has been delayed and is going to be published now. The amendments would have provided that the LDA would have to work and engage with the latest thinking, given that many local authority members are aware of very different issues and big changes that have arisen in the past five years, and that is important. Flood plains are an example. It would be better if new and current local development plans did not just lead to the delivery of housing under this legislation but also influenced how we use this fiscal moment for investment in housing.

I will probably have time only to press amendment No. 3 and the Minister of State may wish to respond. I regret that, yet again, the debate will be guillotined and we will not be able to speak to all the very good amendments tabled by me and others in respect of this area.