Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

They did suggest a hard hat and jacket also with Rebuilding Ireland, but I said "No, this was enough". It is important that for a few moments we take a look back at Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness from July 2016. At the time I spoke in favour of it and I thought how brave the then Minister, Deputy Coveney, was in setting it all out. When one sets out objectives, deadlines and timelines it really puts it up, and that was a brave move on his part. I will quote extracts from Enda Kenny in the forward to the Rebuilding Ireland action plan document of July 2016:

Ending rough sleeping and the use of unsuitable long-term emergency accommodation, including hotels and B&Bs, for homeless families, are key priorities [of the Government] [...] In order to ensure its success, the key targets of this Action Plan will be subject to regular Cabinet review [and monitoring]. The Cabinet Committee on Housing which I chair, will actively oversee its implementation [...] I am committed to ensuring a [...] critical national ambition of ensuring that all of our people have access to quality and affordable housing, either through their own endeavours or with the support of the State. [...] None of us can fail to be moved by the plight of people who are homeless, especially families and children living in hotels, and people who are sleeping on our streets.

In the same document, the then Minister, Deputy Coveney, said, "A key priority is addressing the unacceptable level of homeless families and long-term homeless people in emergency accommodation, by providing rapid housing delivery, alongside measures to support those at risk of losing their homes."

I have a lot of time for Deputy Coveney, but we must deal with some facts here when we talk about the history. We must remember that it was a Government that was supported by the current Minister's party. The policies were pursued by the Government. It was a confidence and supply arrangement and I appreciate the complexities around that. This week, however, we all received an email confirming the latest figures showing the number of people who are homeless in Ireland is now at 8,200. I accept that historically this is a drop and that it is going in the right direction, but it is really very disappointing, and 2,189 of those are children.

This is the context for the plans, where one had a plan and set out to have a Cabinet and a Taoiseach overseeing it and it still did not deliver. To be fair, I acknowledge that it did deliver in some areas, but it did not deliver in many others. It is very important that we address this issue. It ties up with this Cabinet sub-committee and the oversight and delivery of the Minister's plan. This is an important point that needs to be made. This is the Minister's plan and the plan of the Government. The time for debate and elongated discussions is over. I accept that this is the plan. It is a serious attempt and it has been through dialogue. We must accept the reality that this is a major Government majority, this is their plan and this is their vision. That is their prerogative and that is their right. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is the Minister and he is going to pursue it.

As the Minister is aware we had engagements on the Affordable Housing Bill. We did not always agree. We had a lot of engagement with the Land Development Agency Bill. We did not always agree across this House. In fact, there was not a willingness to take on many of those amendments but, again, that is the Minister's call and prerogative, and I respect that. We had a debate about the definition of "affordability". Somehow, we never really grasped or put into words what one defines as terms of affordability, be it to rent or to purchase. Affordability generally is defined as one third of one's income. I am not saying the Minister has said this, but others have suggested that a house for €420,000 or €450,000 in south County Dublin is affordable, which is nonsense.

We still have the challenges around homelessness. We still have the challenges around vulnerable people who are homeless, and do I need to say anything more about that? This is an area we need to focus on, and I believe the Minister is committed to doing that. We have issues around rural housing and I am aware that people in the Government are committed to developing that and giving certainty to rural families and people living across this country who wish to establish homes close to their families, and rightly so, subject to proper conditions and planning. We still have the urge of local councillors, city and county, who want to see their local authorities deliver housing. I acknowledge that the Minister is supportive of this and the document is supportive of this. We have the issue of student accommodation. This week we heard that people were now queueing up at soup kitchens for food and staying in cars. We heard other students this week talking about not being able to go to university and perhaps cancelling out. This is a serious challenge. How we condition planning around student accommodation is about the serious delivery of the targets.

As I said earlier to the Minister, this is his plan and the Government's plan. There are 30 overarching policy objectives in this 160-page document, so it is easy to track and it is easy to follow, which I believe is good. We all know what has to be done, and the Minister more than anyone knows what has to be done. The Government will be spending unprecedented levels of Exchequer funding, which the Minister has said in his statement today. This policy document seeks and will pursue State lands that will be released for the construction of housing. Quite frankly, I do not give a damn where the sites are coming from and I do not give a damn who is building them once we are building houses and making sites available for affordable homes.

This plan is expected to deliver at least 33,000 new homes per year over the next decade. I genuinely wish to Minister well in this. It is ambitious. I believe the Minister is determined and if left in the job I believe that he will pursue that and get it over the line. There must be a strong focus on the implementation of the plan and for it to be overseen by Cabinet. Perhaps at some future time, if not today, the Minister might elaborate just how he will monitor and drive the objectives so that it will actually happen.I say respectfully, as a member of the Opposition, that I will be constructive and supportive, as will my colleagues on the Independent benches, in the ongoing debates on the housing challenges that face the Government. That is our responsibility. The Government has responsibility for policy. I will also monitor and seek accountability for the Minister's and the Government's performance in meeting their targets and plans and I will track the delivery of their promises to the people. I genuinely wish the Minister well in the task ahead.

We had a plan in Rebuilding Ireland but it and the Cabinet sub-committee did not deliver what people were promised. Housing for All, the Minister's plan, is a commitment to the Irish people to address and respond to their call. As the Minister's colleague, Senator Fitzpatrick, said, the people spoke in the election and gave the Government a clear mandate. They want affordable housing for all, both to rent and purchase. I know the Minister is committed. I genuinely and sincerely wish him and the Government well in the delivery of this plan.