Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I too thank Senators Ruane and Flynn and the Civil Engagement Group for bringing this motion. I am delighted to welcome the Minister of State to the House. I welcome the group Housing Action Now and I understand there is a group of artists as well. I apologise for not knowing the latter's title but I have heard about its work and commend it on that. I am delighted the Minister of State has come to the House to debate this issue with us. As Senator Flynn said, we have debated housing many times since the new Government was formed.

The Minister of State knows I come from a very working-class background in the north inner city and Cabra-Glasnevin of Dublin Central. Since I was first elected to Dublin City Council in 2004, housing has been the issue that has been the biggest pressure on people living in my community. That includes people who are working, people who are not working, people with disabilities, people who are able, people who are young and people who are old. It is not an announcement to say this Government is trying to deal with and respond to a housing crisis. Due to the way Senators Ruane and Flynn brought in the real lived experience and real life experience, so much of it resonated with me. They are experiences that are so familiar to me and probably to many Members. Physical and mental exhaustion is created by the insecurity of housing. There is mental pressure, missed life opportunities and stolen experiences. It is cruel, inexcusable and unacceptable in a country like ours that is rich, developed, free and part of the EU. Last June, on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I brought a similar motion on housing before the House. At the time there was almost, though not quite, unanimity. The majority agreed with the motion that stated: "a secure home is a basic human right". It also stated; "Covid-19 highlights the essential protection a secure home provides [an individual]". It continued:

- far too many of our citizens are homeless;

- essential middle-income workers are struggling to secure an affordable home;

- young people should expect to secure an affordable home;

- the State has responsibility to protect citizens right to a home;

We acknowledged that at that time there was a new Government and historic changes were being made but we then went further and called on the Government to exercise every available resource to achieve a sustainable housing supply for every Irish citizen so they could all have a safe and secure home. We also called on the Minster and the Government to ensure every citizen would have an opportunity through a constitutional referendum to insert a right to housing into our Constitution. It is broadly accepted. We see the right to housing as a basic human right but our Constitution is silent on that.

Failures were referenced, and that is what they were. We do not have a housing crisis because somebody succeeded. We have a housing crisis because there were failures. To change that we must change it from the very top. We must say from the very highest level we as a State believe housing is a basic human right. That is what we push for and what there was almost unanimity in this House for. I will return to that but I acknowledge that in the intervening period, that is, June 2021 to date, we have had Housing for All and a historic commitment of €20 billion to deliver 300,000 homes. That is an enormous commitment from the State and one I am confident the Government is committed to delivering. Nevertheless, I am going to continue to push for the referendum on housing because as certain as night follows day, there will be another election at some point and there will be another Government, and we must ensure the right to housing is enshrined in our Constitution so it is protected by it and asserted in it such that every Government, regardless of its political persuasion, is mandated to deliver on it.

There is much in Housing for All that is going to help us move in the right direction. There is a commitment to use State-owned lands to build social and affordable homes. There is a commitment to delivering 10,000 new social homes every year. Housing lists have been spoken about with respect to fact some people have not only not moved up lists but some have had the negative and deflating experience of moving down the lists because of their increasing length.

The other actions around the tackling of vacancy, the increasing delivery of new-build homes and the protections of renters are all very important in the short term. I would appreciate it if the Minister of State could update the House on the referendum on a right to housing, which is a long-term action to ensure failures cannot be repeated in the future.