I must now deal with a postponed division on amendment No. 1 to the motion on affordable housing.
Affordable Housing: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Eoin Ó Broin on Tuesday, 11 May 2022:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— house prices continue to spiral out of control;
— a growing section of people are locked out of home ownership;
— the latest Central Statistics Office Residential Property Price Index shows house prices increased by 15 per cent State-wide in the last year;
— the largest increases were in the border region at 27 per cent;
— the median price of a home across the State was €282,000;
— in Malahide the median price was €497,000;
— the highest median price was in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown at €600,000;
— Government policies, including the Help to Buy (HTB) and the 'First Home' Affordable Purchase Shared Equity schemes, have and will continue to inflate house prices;
— the Government delivered zero affordable purchase homes in 2020 or 2021;
— the Government has provided funding for just 550 affordable purchase homes through its Affordable Housing Fund in 2022;
— the Government's affordable home targets agreed last month with local authorities are not based on objective need; and
— in some schemes, such as O'Devaney Gardens, the full price of so-called affordable homes will be over €400,000; and
calls on the Government to:
— dramatically increase direct capital investment in the delivery by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies of genuinely affordable homes to purchase;
— urgently revise the affordable purchase home targets agreed with local authorities to deliver on average at least 4,000 affordable purchase homes a year from 2022 to 2026;
— allow all local authorities to access the Affordable Housing Fund;
— scrap the HTB scheme and the 'First Home' Affordable Purchase Shared Equity scheme which push up prices, and divert the funding into the delivery of genuinely affordable homes; and
— ensure that all affordable purchase homes are sold at prices that working people can afford.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "That Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes that:
— as recognised in the Government's Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland (Housing for All) strategy, there is a housing crisis in Ireland affecting ordinary working people who aspire to the security of home ownership, which demands a response from the Government on an unprecedented scale;
— Ireland is experiencing an acute gap between housing supply and demand, exacerbated by the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and global supply-chain disruption, which requires both short and longer-term State interventions to address it;
— increased supply in the coming years is the fundamental solution to Ireland's housing problems, along with a targeted range of measures to increase access to affordable homes for those that need this support; and
— it is the ambition of the Government that everybody should have access to sustainable, good quality housing to purchase or rent at an affordable price, with the Housing for All strategy launched last year setting out plans to achieve this;
welcomes:
— the development and implementation of the Housing for All strategy, and the commitment to massively expand the role of the State and to spend unprecedented sums of Exchequer multi-annual funding commitments to achieve the Government's aims;
— the ambitious targets in the Housing for All strategy of over 300,000 new homes by 2030, including 36,000 for affordable purchase homes and 18,000 Cost Rental homes to provide competitive rents and long-term security of tenure for middle income earners, recognising that delivery will ramp up over time with increases in industry capacity and the effects of Government interventions;
— the successive record levels of State investment in housing under Budget 2021 and Budget 2022, comprised of capital investment of over €4 billion and including funding of €676 million specifically focused on affordability measures this year;
— the enactment of the Affordable Housing Act 2021, the most comprehensive housing affordability legislation in the history of this State, which was passed overwhelmingly by this House and provided the basis for two new affordable purchase schemes and a national Cost Rental scheme;
— the use, for the first time, of a Housing Need and Demand Assessment, which was developed in co-operation with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and which supports the identification of the level of housing need for affordability constrained households on a local authority basis;
— the setting of distinct affordable housing delivery targets for local authorities, the Approved Housing Body (AHB) sector, the Land Development Agency (LDA) and the 'First Home' Affordable Purchase Shared Equity scheme, which sees the numbers of affordable purchase and Cost Rental homes in the period to 2026 set at almost 29,000; this includes a target of 9,000 homes for local authorities, 8,000 for the 'First Home' Affordable Purchase Shared Equity scheme, almost 4,000 for AHBs, and almost 8,000 for the LDA;
— the confirmation that measures introduced by the Housing for All strategy are helping to increase housing supply, with 5,669 new homes added to the national stock in Q1 of this year, the most in any first quarter since this official statistic began back in 2011, and 22,219 new homes completed in the last four quarters;
— the clear increase in construction activity visible in the 34,846 new homes commenced in the 12 months to March 2022, the highest rolling 12-month total since comparable data was first published;
— the positive independent forecasts from the ESRI and the Central Bank, despite foreseen disruptions to construction, of housing completions for 2022 and 2023 meeting and potentially exceeding the targets in the Housing for All strategy;
— the passage of the Land Development Agency Act 2021, establishing a powerful new body with a remit to take a strong role in delivering affordable housing for rent and purchase;
— the delivery this year, for the first time in well over a decade, of affordable homes made available for purchase by local authorities, with the first such homes being made available in Cork City, Fingal and South Dublin at significantly discounted prices ranging from approximately €218,000 to €285,000, with more new homes to follow across the country later in the year;
— the planned launch in the coming months of the national 'First Home' Affordable Purchase Shared Equity scheme in the private market, which will help around 8,000 first-time buyers to purchase new homes in the lower half of the price distribution over the years to 2026;
— the Government's reform and expansion of the Local Authority Home Loan, with a budget of €250 million in 2022 alone, to improve affordability for lower and middle-income earners through lower fixed interest rate long-term loans, and broadening of the eligibility criteria to support higher numbers of single applicants struggling to purchase in Dublin, Cork and Galway; and
— the fact that over 32,700 first-time buyers' households have been supported into home ownership by the Help to Buy scheme since 2017; and
fully supports:
— the Government's continuing work under the Housing for All strategy in partnership with local authorities, the LDA, AHBs, and private industry which over the course of the plan will deliver an average of 4,000 affordable purchase and 2,000 Cost Rental homes per year;
— the use of the multi-annual Affordable Housing Fund to support local authorities in delivering new homes for affordable purchase and Cost Rental, with 1,731 new homes approved for funding so far, and further applications from local authorities currently under assessment;
— the new affordable purchase schemes via local authorities and 'First Home' Affordable Purchase Shared Equity, which will support households with affordability challenges to achieve home ownership;
— the further expansion of the Cost Rental sector in Ireland, which has already seen the first homes tenanted at rates of 40 per cent below market through the work of local authorities, the LDA, and AHBs; and
— the LDA's ambitious plans to deliver affordable homes, with construction to begin this year on over 800 new homes in Cork City and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, planning applications recently lodged for over 2,300 more homes on other State lands, and proposals under the Home Building Partnership (Project Tosaigh) to deliver 5,000 new homes by 2026 through engagement with private developers to unlock land with full planning permission that is not being developed due to financing and other constraints."
-(Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 78; Níl, 57; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Berry, Cathal.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carey, Joe.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Hourigan, Neasa.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Verona.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Shanahan, Matt.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Ward, Mark.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Jack Chambers and Brendan Griffin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 79; Níl, 57; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Berry, Cathal.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carey, Joe.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Hourigan, Neasa.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Verona.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Shanahan, Matt.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Ward, Mark.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Jack Chambers and Brendan Griffin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 9.15 p.m. go dtí 9 a.m., Déardaoin, an 12 Bealtaine 2022.
The Dáil adjourned at 9.15 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Thursday, 12 May 2022.