John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House to discuss and listen to statements on what I believe will be one of the most important policy documents the Government will deliver in its term.

Improving the number of housing options available to the people of this country and supporting them to set down roots and have a place to call their own have been among my main priorities since entering politics in 2009. I am delighted to be in the privileged position of being a member of a Government party and of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which had the opportunity to make an input into the plan over the past 12 months. I thank the Minister and his officials for taking on board many of the suggestions made by both Government and Opposition parties.

As public representatives, we all know that the impact of the housing crisis is felt by every family in the country. Housing for All is a radical, realistic and costed plan underpinned by record State investment which will help citizens to have access to affordable, high standard housing to purchase or rent in the right places. It includes actions to increase the housing supply of all types in the short term and measures to ensure we have a sustainable housing system in the long term.

Ultimately, this plan will be judged on delivery. Everyone in government is acutely conscious that we must use every tool at our disposal to deliver for individuals and families. We will not do that by using catchy sound bites or advocating the abolition of schemes that support people to get their foot on the property ladder. We will not do it by objecting to housing schemes or limiting the many and varied mechanisms by which housing can be delivered. As I have said time and again, my party, Fine Gael, and this Government are not hung up on ideology. We do not care who builds homes, whether it is approved housing bodies, local councils, the Land Development Agency, co-operative housing trusts, public private partnerships or the private sector. We do not mind who builds the homes; we just want them delivered. Unfortunately, there are some on the Opposition benches who have the utopian view that housing must be of a certain type and be delivered in a certain way for it to be considered worthy. The reality is that every housing unit that is delivered has a positive impact on supply.

Over the past 12 months, the Government has been working to address the challenges we face, while at the same time developing the Housing for All plan. The new plan builds on the solid foundations laid by Rebuilding Ireland across many strands. While some initiatives have been more successful than others, the resolve of this Government and previous Governments to address the supply issues facing the country and our people remains resolute.

The facts are that housing output increased from 4,575 units in 2013 to 20,584 in 2020 despite Covid-19 closures, and 39,524 social homes were delivered between 2016 and the end of 2020. It should be noted that the main Opposition party, in its 2015 housing policy, promised to deliver a combined total of 36,500 social and affordable homes between 2016 and the end of 2021. The Government has, therefore, exceeded the Opposition's target with one year to spare and we hope to reach 50,000 social units by the end of this year. Yet, my party and this Government are constantly ridiculed and criticised for under-delivery despite outstripping the Opposition's targets with 12 months to spare.

The Minister outlined some of the key items that have been delivered by the Government over the past 12 months. They include the largest housing budget on record; passing the first comprehensive Affordable Housing Act; reforming the Land Development Agency and placing it on a statutory footing; banning co-living; passing five separate tenant protection Acts; extending the relief in the help-to-buy scheme to €30,000; opening the first ever cost-rental units in the history of the State; investing in Irish Water and focusing on the development of a specific fund for towns and villages; limiting deposits and extending protections for student renters; extending rent pressure zones; legislating to protect traditional family homes from bulk purchases; bringing 3,600 vacant social homes back into use, which we will do again this year; and allocating €1.3 billion from the urban regeneration fund which is already having a positive impact, while also streamlining the buy and renew scheme and extending the repair and lease scheme.

While much progress has been made, we are acutely aware of the issues that persist in the area of homelessness, which will continue to be a focus of the Government. There have been some positive measures such as the introduction of housing action teams and integrated homes service teams, including one in Waterford city. However, homelessness remains a huge concern. Schemes such as the repair and lease scheme have been used exceptionally well in places such as County Waterford. Unfortunately, other local authority areas have not stepped up to the plate in using the schemes that are available. In Waterford, we have eradicated the use of bed and breakfast accommodation and hostels because we focused, through the scheme, on delivering one and two-bedroom units. It should not be the case that 50% of all repair and lease units in the State have been delivered in Waterford. I reiterate my call on the Minister to set specific targets for local authorities to deliver under the repair and lease scheme.

Housing for All commits to the delivery of 300,000 homes over the lifetime of the plan, consisting of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes, 18,000 cost-rental units and 156,000 private homes for sale or rent. These are ambitious targets that we can deliver. The first home scheme, the affordable purchase scheme and the reformed local authority mortgage scheme are critical in providing homes and giving hope to families and individuals in the middle whose incomes are too high to allow them to qualify for social housing and who cannot get their foot on the property ladder.

I ask for the extension of the help-to-buy scheme at the 10% rate in the upcoming budget for 2022. The scheme, which has been very successful, is essential for first-time buyers and anyone buying their first home. The latest figures available from Revenue show that 28,300 claims have been made under the scheme. This means 28,000 individuals and families now have their first home as a result of the help-to-buy scheme. While some members of the Opposition want to abolish the scheme, I believe its retention, at least in the short term, as a measure that will boost supply and help people to get their foot on the property ladder is essential.Finally, I reiterate what others have said in terms of our support here on the Government benches for the Housing for All plan, for the Minister and for his officials. We will always be there to assist in any regard with the delivery of housing.